THE  UNIVERSITY  OF 

NORTH  CAROLINA 

LIBRARY 


THE  WILMER  COLLECTION 

OF  CIVIL  WAR  NOVELS 

PRESENTED  BY 

RICHARD  H.  WILMER,  JR. 


^^^c^ 


Lieutenant  Somers  and  (ho  liebt-l  Picket?.      Ta^re  70. 


^Wi' 


THE  YOUNG  LIEUTENANT; 


OB, 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER. 


g^  ^torjj  of  titj?  ^xtU  i«b«Ui«ftt. 


BY 


OLIYEK    OPTIC, 


ACTHOR  OF  "RICH  AND  HUMBLE,"    "IN  SCHOOL  AND  OUT,"    "THE  BOAT  CLUB, 
"ALL  ABOARD,"   "NOW  OR  NEVER,"   "  TRY  AGAIN,"   "POOB  AND  PROUD,"   ' 
"LITTLE  BT  LITTLE,"    "THE  RIVERDALB  STORT  BOOKS,"    "THE 
SOLDIER  BOY,"    "THE  SAILOS  BOY,"  ETO. 


BOSTON: 
LEE     AND     SHEPARD, 

SUCCESSORS   TO   PHILLIPS,  SAHP30X,  &  CO. 

1865. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1865,  by 

WILLIAM    T.    ADAMS, 

In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Mossachosetts. 


ELECTEOTTPED  BT 
C.   J.    PETERS    &    SON, 


TO 

WILLIAM  U.  MOULTON,  ESQ., 

Cbxs    gook 
IS    RESPECTFULLY    DEDICATED 


T      HIS      FRIEND 


WILLIAM    T.    ADAMS. 


602677 


THE  ARJIY  AND  NAVY  STORIES. 

IN    SIX    VOLUMES. 
BY     OLIVER     OPTIC. 


I. 
THE    SOXiOIJEH    BOY; 

Or,    Tom    Sonxers    in.    the    -A-rmy. 

II. 
THE    ©^ILOR-  BOY  5 

Or,    Jack    Sorxiers    in.    the    N'avy. 

III. 
TBCE    YOrnVO    3L,IETJTEIVA]N'T  ; 

Or,    The    -A^dventures    of   an    -A^rmy-    Offi.oer. 

A  SEQUEL   TO  "THE   SOLDIER  BOY." 
IV. 

THE    YAJVKIEE    3i:iI>r>Y  5 

Or,    The    Jkdventures    of  a    ISTaval    Offi.oer. 

A  SEQUEL  TO  "THE   SAILOR   BOY." 
(In  Preparation.) 

V. 

FIGHTI]VO    JOE; 

Or,    The    Fortixnes    of  a    Staff- Offl.cer. 

A  SEQUEL  TO  "THE  YOUNG  LIEUTENANT." 
.  (In  Preparation.) 

VI. 

BH^YE    OEI>    S^lLiT; 

Or,    Ijife    on    the    Qiaarter-IDeok:. 

A  SEQUEL  TO  "THE  YANKEE  MIDDY." 
(In  Preparation.) 


P  R  E  r  A  C  E. 


This  A'olume  is  a  sequel  to  "  The  Soldier  Bot  ; "  and,  though 
the  leading  character  is  the  same  in  both  books,  there  is  no  neces- 
sary connection  between  them,  each  forming  an  independent  story. 
The  material  for  the  work,  so  far  as  its  historical  relations  are  con- 
cerned, has  been  derived  from  authentic  sources  ;  not  from  books 
and  papers  only,  but  from  intelligent  and  reliable  persons  who  par- 
ticipated in  the  stirring  scenes  of  which  they  gave  testimony. 

The  author  especially  acknowledges  his  indebtedness  to  Captain 
"WiLLiAii  V.  MuNROE,  late  of  the  Eleventh  Massachusetts  Regi- 
ment, for  details  of  the  Peninsular  Campaign ;  and  to  Captain 
Hexrt  N.  Blake,  author  of  "  Three  Years  in  the  Army  of 
THE  Potomac,"  for  valuable  information  relative  to  the  movements 
of  Greneral  Hooker's  Division. 

Like  "  The  Soldier  Boy,"  this  book  is  a  narrative  of  personal 
adventure,  rather  than  a  connected  historical  account  of  the  opera- 
tions before  Richmond ;  though,  so  far  as  positions  and  movements 
of  the  army  are  introduced,  they  are  based  upon  reliable  informa- 
tion. If  any  of  the  incidents  of  the  story  seem  strange  and  improb- 
able, the  writer  respectfully  suggests,  that,  since  the  passage  of  the 
Union  officers  through  the  tunnel  under  Libby  Prison ;  since  the  de- 
struction of  the  "  Albemarle  "  by  Lieutenant  Cushing  and  his  party ; 
and  since  the  experience  of  scores  of  Union  prisoners  escaped  from 


6  PREFACE. 

rebel  campa  and  dungeons,  recorded  and  nnrecorded,  has  become 
known,  —  since  these  things  have  occxxrred,  —  nothing  connected 
with  the  Great  Rebellion  ought  to  be  deemed  strange  or  improbable. 
The  flattering  success  which  has  attended  "  The  Soldier  Boy  " 
and  "The  Sailor  Boy,"  and  the  author's  personal  interest  in 
the  Somers  Family,  have  induced  him  to  announce  two  additional 
volumes  of  "  The  Army  and  Navy  Stories."  With  these  ex- 
planations, he  submits  the  third  volume  of  the  series  to  the  consid- 
eration of  his  readers,  young  and  old :  hoping  it  will  merit  the  same 
kindness  that  has  been  bestowed  upon  the  preceding  volumes. 

WILLLVM  T.   ADAJSIS. 
Dorchester,  April  30,  1865. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEE  PAGB 

I.    Captain  de  Bantan  and  Othkes 11 

II.    The  Senator's  Daughter 21 

III.  A  Friend  at  Court 31 

IV.  The  Fire  of  Temptation 42 

V.    On  the  Skirmish  Line 53 

VI.    The  Kebel  Sharpshooters 63 

VII.    An  Expedition  in  Front 73 

VIII.    An  Order  from  Headquarters 84 

IX.  Lieutenant  Somers  changes  his  Na^ie  and  Charac- 
ter       96 

X.    Allan  Garland  and  Friends 107 

XI.    The  Virginia  Maiden 120 

XII.    The  Dignified  Young  Rebel 132 

XIII.  An  Unexpected  Arrival 144 

XIV.  The  Rebel  Division-General 157 

XV.    The  Sharpshooter  in  the  Woods 170 

XVI.    Return  to  the  Camp 182 

XVII.    Glendale  and  Malvern  Hills 194 

XVIII.    Lieutenant  Somers  has  a  new  Sensation 206 

XIX.    Over  the  River 219 


8  CONTENTS. 

CHJIPTXR  PAOK 

XX.    Captain  de  Banyax  finds  an  Old  Friend 231 

XXI.    The  Third  Tennessee 243 

XXII.    The  Rebel.  Farm-House 254 

XXin.    The  Man  in  the  Chimney 266 

XXIY.    A  Broken  Bargain 277 

XXV.    Somers  is  compelled  to  back  out 290 

XXVI,    A  Night  in  Petersburg 302 

XXVII.    A  Friend  indeed .• 314 

XXVIII.    Dr.  Scoville's  Patient 327 

XXIX.    De  Bantan  at  Work 341 

XXX.    Another  Commission 354 

XXXI.   Washington,  Boston,  and  Pinchbbook 367 


THE  YOUNG  LIEUTENANT. 


THE  YOUNG  LIEUTENANT; 


THE  ADVENTURES  OE  AN  ARMY  OEEICER. 


CHAPTER   I. 

CAPTAIN   DE   BANYAN  AND   OTHERS. 

BEG-  your  pardon,  sir ;  but  I  see,  by  the  num- 
ber on  your  cap,  that  we  belong  to  the  same 
regiment,"  said  an  officer  with  two  bars  on  his 
shoulder-straps,  as  he  halted  in  the  aisle  of  the 
railroad-car,  near  where  Lieutenant  Thomas  Somers  was 
seated.  "  May  I  be  permitted  to  inquire  whom  I  have 
the  honor  of  addressing  ?  " 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,  of  the th  Massachusetts," 

replied  the  young  gentleman  addressed,  as  he  politely 
touched  his  cap  in  return  for  the  salutation  of  the  other. 
"  Ah  !  is  it  possible?  I  am  rejoiced  to  meet  you.  I 
have  heard  of  you  before.  Allow  me  to  add  in  the  most 
delicate  manner,  that  you  are  a  good  fellow,  a  first-rate 
soldier,  and  as  brave  an  officer  as  ever  sported  a  pair  of 

11 


12  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

shoulder-straps.  Permit  ftie  to  offer  you  my  hand  ;  and 
allow  me  to  add,  that  it  is  a  hand  which  was  never  sul- 
lied by  a  dishonorable  act." 

"  I  am  happy  to  make  your  acquaintance,"  replied 
Lieutenant  Somers,  as  he  accepted  the  offered  hand. 
"Won't  you  take  a  seat,  Captain  ?" 

"  Captain  de  Banyan,  at  your  service,"  continued  the 
officer,  as  he  seated  himself  by  the  side  of  the  young  lieu- 
tenant, who  was  completely  bewildered  by  the  elegant 
and  courtly  speech  of  his  new-found  friend. 

K  Lieutenant  Somers  needs  any  further  introduction  to 
the  reader,  we  may  briefly  add,  that  he  was  a  native  of 
Pinchbrook,  a  town  near  Boston,  in  the  State  of  Massa- 
chusetts. He  was  now  entering  his  eighteenth  year,  and 
had  enlisted  in  the  great  army  of  the  Union  as  a  private, 
with  an  earnest  and  patriotic  desire  to  serve  his  imper- 
illed country  in  her  death-grapple  with  treason  and  trai- 
tors. He  had  won  his  warrant  as  a  sergeant  by  bravery 
and  address,  and  had  subsequently  been  commissioned  as 
a  second  lieutenant  for  good  conduct  on  the  bloody  field 
of  Williamsburg,  where  he  had  been  wounded.  The  in- 
jury he  had  received,  and  the  exhaustion  consequent  upon 
hard  marching  and  the  excitement  of  a  terrible  battle, 
had  procured  for  him  a  furlough  of  thirty  days.  He  had 
spent  this  brief  period  at  home  ;  and  now,  invigorated  by 
rest  and  the  care  of  loving  friends,  he  was  returning  to 
the  army  to  participate    in  that   stupendous  campaign 

'dl 


THE   ADVEXrURES    OF  AN   ARMY   OFFICER.  V6 

which  culminated  in  the  seven-days'  battles  before  Rich- 
mond. 

Inspired  by  the  hope  of  honorable  distinction,  still 
more  by  the  patriotic  desire  to  serve  the  noblest  cause  for 
-which  the  soldier  ever  drew  a  sword,  he  was  hastening 
to  the  post  of  danger  and  duty.  As  the  train  hurried 
him  by  smiling  fields,  and  through  cities  and  villages 
whose  prosperity  was  mysteriously  interlinked  with  the 
hallowed  mission  which  called  him  from  the  bosom  of 
home  and  friends,  his  thoughts  were  those  which  would 
naturally  animate  the  soul  of  a  young  patriot,  as  he  jour- 
neyed to  the  battle-fields  of  a  nation's  ruin  or  salvation. 
He  thought  of  the  bloody  scenes  before  him,  of  the  bless- 
ed home  behind  him. 

Only  the  day  before,  he  had  made  his  parting  visit  to 
Lilian  Ashford,  who  knit  his  "  fighting  socks,"  as  he  had 
called  them  since  the  eventful  day  when  he  had  found 
her  letter  and  her  picture  in  them.  Of  course,  he  could 
not  help  thinking  of  her  ;  and,  as  he  had  a  thin  stratum  of 
sentiment  in  his  composition,  it  is  more  than  probable 
that  the  beautiful  young  lady  monopolized  more  than  her 
fair  share  of  his  thoughts  ;  but  I  am  sure  it  was  not  at 
all  to  the  detriment  of  the  affection  he  owed  his  mother 
and  the  other  dear  ones,  who  were  shrined  in  the  sanc- 
tuary of  his  heart. 

Lieutenant  Somers  was  an  exceedingly  good-looking 
young  man,  which,  as  it  was  no  fault  of  his  own,  we  do 


14  THE    YOU  NO  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

not  object  to  mention.  He  was  clothed  in  his  new  uni- 
form, which  was  very  creditable  to  the  taste  and  skill  of 
his  tailor.  On  his  upper  lip,  an  incipient  mustache 
had  developed  itself;  and,  though  it  presented  nothing  re- 
markable, it  gave  brilliant  promise  of  soon  becoming  all 
that  its  ambitious  owner  could  possibly  desire,  especially 
as  he  was  a  reasonable  person,  and  had  no  taste  for  mon- 
strosities. He  had  paid  proper  attention  to  this  ornamen- 
tal appendage,  which  is  so  indispensable  to  the  making- 
up  of  a  soldier  ;  and  the  result,  if  not  entirely  satisfactory, 
was  at  least  hopeful. 

The  subject  of  our  remarks  wore  his  sash  and  belt, 
and  carried  his  sword  in  his  hand,  for  the  reason  that  he 
had  no  other  convenient  way  of  transporting  them.  Our 
natural  pride,  as  his  biographer,  leads  us  to  repeat  that  he 
was  a  fine-looking  young  man  ;  and  we  will  venture  to 
say,  that  the  young  lady  who  occupied  the  seat  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  car  was  of  the  same  opinion.  Of 
course,  she  did  not  stare  at  him  :  but  she  had  two  or  three 
times  cast  a  furtive  glance  at  the  young  officer ;  though 
the  operation  had  been  so  weU  managed,  that  he  was 
entirely  unconscious  of  the  fact. 

Inasmuch  as  this  same  young  lady  was  herself  quite 
pretty,  it  is  not  supposable  that  she  had  entirely  escaped 
the  observation  of  our  gallant  young  son  of  Mars.  We 
are  compelled  to  say  he  had  glanced  in  that  direction  tAvo 
or  three  times,  to  keep  within  the  limits  of  a  modest 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AliMT  OFFICER.  15 

calculation ;  but  it  is  our  duty  to  add  that  he  was  not 
captivated,  and  that  there  is  not  the  least  danger  of  our 
story  degenerating  into  a  love-tale.  Lieutenant  Somers 
thought  she  was  nearly  as  pretty  as  Lilian  Ashford ;  and 
this,  we  solemnly  declare,  was  the  entire  length  and 
breadth  of  the  sentiment  he  expended  upon  the  young 
lady,  who  was  certainly  worthy  of  a  deeper  homage. 

She  was  in  charge  of  an  elderly,  dignified  gentleman, 
who  had  occupied  the  seat  by  her  side  until  half  an  hour 
before  the  appearance  of  Captain  de  Banyan  ;  but,  being 
unfortunately  addicted  to  the  small  vice  of  smoking,  he 
had  gone  forward  to  the  proper  car  to  indulge  his  pro- 
pensity. Lieutenant  Somers  had  studied  the  faces  of  all 
the  passengers  near  him,  and  had  arrived  at  the  conclu- 
sion that  the  lady's  protector  was  a  gentleman  of  conse- 
quence. He  might  be  her  father  or  her  uncle  ;  but  he 
was  a  member  of  Congress,  the  governor  of  a  State,  or 
some  high  official,  perhaps  a  major-general  in  "  mufti." 
At  any  rate,  our  hero  was  interested  in  the  pair,  and  had 
carried  his  speculations  concerning  them  as  far  as  theory 
can  go  \\dthout  a  few  facts  to  substantiate  it,  when  his 
reflections  were  disturbed  by  Captain  de  Banyan. 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,  I'm  proud  to  know  you,  as  I  had 
occasion  to  remark  before.  I  have  heard  of  you.  You 
distinguished  yourself  in  the  battle  of  Williamsburg," 
said  Captain  de  Banyan. 

"You  speak  very  handsomely  of  me,  —  much  better 
than  I  deserve,  sir." 


16  THE    TOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  Not  a  particle,  my  boy.  If  there  is  a  man  in  the 
army  that  can  appreciate  valor,  that  man  is  Captain  de 
Banyan.  You  are  modest.  Lieutenant  Somers,  —  of 
course  you  are  modest ;  all  brave  men  are  modest,  —  and 
I  forgive  your  blushes.  I've  seen  service,  my  boy. 
Though  not  yet  thirty-five,  I  served  in  the  Crimea,  in  the 
Forty-seventh  Royal  Infantry  ;  and  was  at  the  battles  of 
Solferino,  Magenta,  Palestro,  and  others  too  numerous  to 
mention." 

"  Indeed  !  "  exclaimed  Lieutenant  Somers,  filled  with 
admiration  by  the  magnificent  record  of  the  captain. 
"  Then  you  are  not  an  American  ?  " 

*'  Oh,  yes,  I  am  !  I  happened  to  be  in  England  when 
the  Russian  war  commenced.  So,  being  fond  of  a  stir- 
ring life,  I  entered  as  a  private  in  the  Forty-seventh. 
If  the  war  had  continued  six  months  longer,  I  should 
have  come  out  a  brigadier-general,  though.  Promotion 
is  not  so  rapid  in  the  British  army  as  in  our  own.  I  was 
at  the  storming  of  the  Redan  :  I  was  one  of  the  first  to 
mount  the  breach.     Just  as  I  had  raised  my  musket  "  — 

"  I  thought  you  were  an  officer,  — a  colonel  at  least,'* 
interposed  Lieutenant  Somers. 

"  My  sword,  I  should  have  said.  Just  as  I  had  raised 
my  sword  to  cut  do^^^l  a  Russian  who  threatened  to  bay- 
onet me,  a  cannon-ball  struck  the  but  of  my  gun  "  — 

"  Your  gun?" 

"  The  handle  of  my  sword,  I  should  have  said,  and 
snapped  it  off  like  a  pipe-stem." 


THE   ADVf:NTURES    OF  AN  ^IBMY   OFFICER.  17 

"  But  didn't  it  snap  your  hand  oif  too  ?  "  asked  the 
lieutenant,  rather  bewildered  by  the  captain's  statements. 

"  Not  at  all :  that  is  the  most  wonderful  part  of  the 
story.     It  didn't  even  graze  the  skin." 

"  That  was  very  remarkable,"  added  Lieutenant 
Somers,  who  could  not  see,  for  the  life  of  him,  how  a  can- 
non-ball could  hit  the  handle  of  the  sword  without  in- 
juring the  hand  which  grasped  it. 

"  It  was  very  remarkable,  indeed  ;  but  I  was  reminded 
of  the  circumstance  by  the  remembrance  that  you  were 
hit  in  the  head  by  a  bullet,  which  did  not  kill  you.  I 
shouldn't  have  mentioned  the  affair  if  I  hadn't  called 
to  mind  my  own  experience  :  for  like  yourself,  Somers,  I 
am  a  modest  man  ;  in  fact,  every  brave  man  is  necessa- 
rily a  modest  man." 

"  Were  you  ever  wounded,  Captain  de  Banyan?  " 

"  Bless  you,  half  a  dozen  times.  At  Magenta,  the 
same  bullet  passed  twice  through  my  body." 

"  The  same  bullet  ?  " 

"  Yes,  sir,  —  the  same  bullet.  I'll  tell  you  how  it  hap- 
pened. I  was  in  the  heavy  artillery  there.  The  bullet 
of  the  Russian  "  — 

"  The  Russian !  AMiy,  I  thought  the  battle  of  Ma- 
genta was  fought  between  the  Austrians  and  the  French." 

"  You  are  right,  my  boy.     The  bullet  of  the  Austrian, 
I  should  have  raid,  passed  through  my  left  lung,  struck 
the  cannon  behind  me,  bounded  back,   and,  hitting  me 
2 


18  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

again,  passed  through  my  right  King.  AVhen  it  came  out, 
it  hit  my  musket,  and  dropped  upon  the  ground.  I 
picked  it  up,  and  have  it  at  home  now." 

"  AVhew  !  "  added  Lieutenant  Somers  in  a  low  whis- 
per. "It's  quite  warm  to-day,"  lie  continued,  trying  to 
turn  off  the  remark. 

*'  Very  warm,  indeed." 

"  But  didn't  you  fall  after  the  ball  had  passed  through 
both  your  lungs  ?  '* 

"  Not  at  all.  I  walked  five  miles  to  the  hospital.  On 
my  way,  I  met  the  Emperor  Xapoleon,  who  got  off  his 
horse,  and  thanked  me  for  the  valor  I  had  displayed,  and 
conferred  on  me  the  medal  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  I 
keep  the  medal  in  the  same  bag  with  the  bullet." 

"  Then  you  have  actually  shaken  hands  with  the  Em- 
peror of  France?"  cried  the  amazed  lieutenant. 

"  Yes  ;  and  King  Victor  Emmanuel  called  to  see  me 
in  the  hospital,  where  I  was  confined  for  five  weeks.  At 
Solferino,  both  their  majesties  shook  hands  with  me,  and 
thanked  me  again  for  my  services.  Being  a  modest  man, 
I  shouldn't  w^ant  to  say  out  loud  that  I  saved  the  day 
for  the  French  and  Sardinians  at  Solferino.  At  any  rate, 
their  majesties  did  the  handsome  thing  by  me  on  that 
day." 

"  I  thought  you  were  in  the  hospital  five  weeks  after 
Magenta.'* 

"  So  I  was  ;  and  well  do  I  remember  the  little  delica- 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.  19 

cies  sent  me  by  the  King  of  Italy  while  I  lay  there  on 
my  back.  Ah  !  that  Victor  Emmanuel  is  a  noble  fellow. 
At  Solferino,  he  "  — 

^*  But  how  could  you  have  been  at  Solferino,  if  you 
were  in  the  hospital  live  weeks  ?  " 

"  I  did  not  die  of  my  wounds,  it  is  scarcely  necessary 
for  me  to  remark.     I  got  well." 

"  But  the  battle  of  Solferino  was  fought  on  the  20th 
of  June,  and"  that  of  Magenta  on  the  4th  of  June.  There 
were  only  twenty  days  between  the  battles.'* 

"  You  are  right,  Somers.  I  have  made  some  mistake 
in  the  dates.  I  never  was  good  at  remembering  them. 
When  I  was  in  college,  the  professors  used  to  laugh  at 
me  for  forgetting  the  date  of  the  Christian  era.  By  the 
way,  do  you  smoke,  Somers?  Let's  go  into  the.  smok- 
ing-car, and  have  a  cigar." 

"  I  thank  you  :  I  never  smoke.*' 

''Ah!  you  are  worse  than  a  hot  potato.  But  lam 
dying  for  a  smoke  ;  and,  if  you  will  excuse  me,  I  will 
go  forward.  I  will  see  you  again  before  we  get  to  New 
York." 

Captain  de  Banyan,  apparently  entirely  satisfied  with 
himself,  rose  from  his  seat,  and  sauntered  gracefully 
forward  to  the  door  of  the  car  ;  through  which  he  dis- 
appeared, leaving  Lieutenant  Somers  busy  in  a  vain 
endeavor  to  crowd  five  weeks  in  between  the  4th  and 
the  20th  of  June.     The  captain  was  certainly  a  pleasant 


20  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

and  voluble  person,  and  Somers  had  enjoyed  the  inter- 
view ;  though  he  could  not  repress  a  rising  curiosity  to 
see  the  bullet  which  had  passed  twice  through  the  body 
of  the  valiant  soldier,  and  the  medal  of  the  Legion  of 
Honor  conferred  upon  him  by  his  imperial  majesty  the 
Emperor  of  France. 

Some  painful  doubts  in  regard  to  the  truth  of  Captain 
de  Banyan's  remarkable  experience  were  beginning  to 
intrude  themselves  into  his  mind  ;  and  it  is  quite  proba- 
ble that  he  would  have  been  hurled  into  an  unhappy  state 
of  scepticism,  if  the  train  in  which  he  was  riding  had 
not  been  suddenly  hurled  down  an  embankment  some 
twenty  feet  in  height,  where  the  cars  were  piled  up  in 
shapeless  wrecks,  and  human  beings,  full  of  life  and  hope 
a  moment  before,  w^ere  suddenly  ushered  into  eternity,  or 
maimed  and  maniiled  for  life. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.  21 


CHAPTER   II. 

THE    senator's    DArGHTER. 

/^■^     SCENE  terrible  beyond  tlie  power  of  descriptiou 
71      was  presented  to  the  gaze  of  Lieutenant  Somers 
^^^V"  when  he  recovered  his  scattered  senses.     The 
—  car  had  been  literally  -vNTenched  to  pieces,  and 

the  passengers  were  partially  buried  beneath  the  frag- 
ments. Our  traveller  was  stunned  by  the  shock,  and 
made  giddy  by  the  wild  vaulting  of  the  car  as  it  leaped 
down  the  embankments  to  destruction.  He  was  bruised 
and  lacerated  ;  but  he  was  not  seriously  injured.  He  did 
not  make  the  mistake  which  many  persons  do  under  such 
trying  circumstances,  of  believing  that  they  are  killed  ;  or, 
if  their  senses  belie  this  impression,  that  they  shall  die 
within  a  brief  period. 

Lieutenant  Somers  was  endowed  with  a  remarkable 
degree  of  self-possession,  and  never  gave  up  any  thing 
as  long  as  there  was  any  chance  of  holding  on.  He  saw 
a  great  many  stars  not  authenticated  in  any  respectable 
catalogue  of  celestial  luminaries.  His  thoughts,  and 
even  his  vitality,  seemed  to  be  suspended  for  an  instant ; 
% 


22  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

but  the  thoughts  came  back,  and  the  stream  of  life  still 
flowed  on,  notwithstanding  the  rude  assault  which  had 
been  made  upon  his  corporal  frame. 

Finding  that  he  was  not  killed,  he  struggled  out  from 
beneath  the  wreck  which  had  overwhelmed  him.  His 
first  consideration,  after  he  had  assured  himself  that  he 
was  comparatively  uninjured,  was  for  those  who  were  his 
fellow-passengers  on  this  race  to  ruin  and  death  ;  and 
perhaps  it  is  not  strange  that  the  fair  young  lady  who  had 
occupied  the  opposite  seat  in  the  car  came  to  his  mind. 
Men  and  women  were  disengaging  themselves  from  the 
shapeless  rubbish.  Some  wept,  some  groaned,  and  some 
were  motionless  and  silent. 

He  did  not  see  the  fair  stranger  among  those  who  were 
struggling  back  to  consciousness.  A  portion  of  the  top 
of  the  car  lay  near  him,  which  he  raised  up.  It  rested 
heavily  upon  the  form  of  a  maiden,  which  he  at  once 
recognized  by  the  dress  to  be  that  of  the  gentle  stranger. 
The  sight  roused  all  his  energies,  and  he  felt  that  strength 
which  had  fired  his  muscles  when  he  trod  the  field  of  bat- 
tle. With  desperate  eagerness,  he  raised  the  heavy  frag- 
ment which  was  crowding  out  the  young  life  of  the 
tender  form,  and  bore  it  aw^ay,  so  that  she  was  released 
from  its  cruel  pressure. 

She,  poor  girl !  felt  it  not ;  for  her  eyes  were  closed, 
and  her  marble  cheek  was  stained  with  blood.  The 
young  officer,  tenderly  interested  in  her  fate,  bent  over 


THE   ADVENTUIiES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.  23 

her,  aud  raised  the  inanimate  form.  He  bore  it  in  his 
arms  to  a  green  spot,  away  from  the  scattered  fragments 
of  the  train,  and  laid  it  gently  down  upon  the  bosom  of 
mother  earth.  By  all  the  means  within  his  power,  he 
endeavored  to  convince  himself  that  death  had  not  yet  in- 
vaded the  lovely  temple  of  her  being.  But  still  she  was 
silent  and  motionless.  There  was  not  a  sign  by  which 
he  could  determine  the  momentous  question. 

He  was  unwilling  to  believe  that  the  beautiful  stranger 
was  dead.  It  seemed  too  hard  and  cruel  that  one  so 
young  and  fair  should  be  thus  rudely  hurried  out  of  ex- 
istence, without  a  mother  or  even  a  father  near  to  receive 
her  last  gaze  of  earth,  and  listen  to  the  soft  sigh  with 
which  she  breathed  forth  her  last  throb  of  existence.  He 
had  a  telescopic  drinking-cup  in  his  pocket,  with  which 
he  hastened  to  a  brook  that  flowed  through  the  valley. 
Filling  it  with  water,  he  returned  to  his  charge.  He 
sprinkled  her  face,  and  rubbed  her  temples,  and  exerted 
himself  to  the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  ability  to 
awaken  some  signs  of  life. 

The  task  seemed  hopeless  ;  and  he  was  about  to  aban- 
don it  in  despair,  to  render  assistance  to  those  who  needed 
it  more  than  the  fair,  silent  form  before  him,  when  an 
almost  imperceptible  sigh  gladdened  his  heart,  and  caused 
him  to  renew  his  exertions.  Procuring  another  cup  of 
water,  he  persistently  sprinkled  the  fair  face  and  chafed 
the  temples  of  his  charge.     "With  his  handkerchief  he 


24  THE    YOUNG   LIE V TENANT ;    OR, 

washed  away  the  blood-stains,  and  ascertained  that  she 
was  only  slightly  cut  just  above  the  ear. 

Cheered  by  the  success  which  had  rewarded  his  efforts, 
he  continued  to  bathe  and  cliafe  till  the  gentle  stranger 
opened  her  eyes.  In  a  few  moments  more  she  recovered 
her  consciousness,  and  cast  a  bewildered  glance  around 
her. 

""WTiere  is  my  father?"  said  she;  and,  as  she  spoke, 
the  fearful  nature  of  the  catastrophe  dawned  upon  her 
mind,  and  she  partially  rose  from  her  recumbent  posture. 

Lieutenant  Somers  could  not  tell  where  her  father  was, 
and  his  first  thought  was  that  he  must  be  beneath  the 
wreck  of  the  shattered  cars.  For  the  first  time,  he 
looked  about  him  to  measure  with  his  eye  the  extent  of 
the  calamity.  At  that  moment  he  discovered  the  engine, 
with  the  forward  part  of  the  train  backing  do\\Ti  the  rail- 
road. Only  the  two  rear  cars  had  been  precipitated  over 
the  embankment ;  the  accident  having  been  caused  by  the 
breaking  of  an  axle  on  the  last  car  but  one.  The  shackle 
connecting  this  with  the  next  one  had  given  way,  and  the 
broken  car  had  darted  off  the  bank,  carrying  the  rear  one 
with  it,  while  the  rest  of  the  train  dashed  on  to  its  des- 
tination. 

Of  course  the  calamity  was  immediately  discovered  ; 
but  a  considerable  time  elapsed  — .  as  time  was  measured 
by  those  who  were  suffering  and  dying  beneath  the  dehris 
of  the  train  —  before  the   engine  could  be  stopped,  and 


THE   ADVEXTUIiES    OF  AX  J^^fY    OFFICER.  25 

backed  to  the  scene  of  the  accident.  Lieutenant  Somers 
had  seen  the  lady*s  father  go  forward,  and  had  heard  him 
say  he  was  going  to  the  smoking-car  :  he  was  therefore 
sati:?t]ed  that  he  was  safe. 

"  He  will  be  here  presently,"  he  replied  to  the  anxious 
question  of  the  fair  stranger. 

"Perhaps  he  Avas  —  oh,  dear  !     Perhaps  he  was"  — 

"  Oh,  no  !  he  wasn't.  The  smoking-car  was  not  thrown 
oti'  the  track,"  interposed  the  young  officer,  promptly  re- 
moving from  her  mind  the  terrible  fear  which  took  pos- 
session of  her  first  conscious  moments.  "Are  you  much 
hurt?" 

"I  don't  know;  I  don't  think  I  am:  but  one  of  my 
arms  feels  very  numb.'* 

"  Let  me  examine  it,"  continued  our  traveller,  tenderly 
raising  the  injured  member. 

He  was  not  deeply  skilled  in  surgery ;  but  he  knew 
enough  of  the  mysteries  of  anatomy  to  discover  that  the 
arm  was  broken  between  the  elbow  and  the  shoulder. 

"  I  am  afraid  your  arm  is  broken,"  said  he  cautiously, 
as  though  he  feared  the  announcement  would  cause  her 
to  faint  again. 

"  I  am  glad  it  is  no  worse,"  said  she  with  a  languid 
smile,  and  without  exhibiting  the  least  indication  of  fem- 
inine weakness. 

"  It  might  have  been  worse,  certainly.  Can  I  do  any 
thing  more  for  you  ?  "  added  Lieutenant  Somers,  glancing 


26  THE    YOUXG   LTEUTENANT;    OH, 

at  the  'v\Tcck  of  the  cars,  ^ilh  a  feeling  that  his  duty  then 
was  a  less  pleasing  one  than  that  of  attending  to  the 
wants  of  the  beautiful  stranger ;  for  there  were  still  men 
and  women  lying  helpless  and  unserved  in  the  midst  of 
the  ruins. 

The  train  stopped  upon  the  road  ;  and  the  passengers, 
though  appalled  by  the  sight,  rushed  down  the  bank  to 
render  willing  assistance  to  the  sufferers.  Among  them 
was  the  father  of  the  young  lady,  who  leaped  frantically 
down  the  steep,  and  passed  from  one  to  another  of  the 
forms  which  the  survivors  had  taken  from  the  Avreck. 

"  There  is  your  father,"  said  Lieutenant  Somers  as 
he  recognized  him  among  the  excited  passengers.  "  I 
will  go  and  tell  him  where  you  are." 

"  Do,  if  you  please,"  replied  the  lady  faintly. 

He  ran  to  the  distracted  parent,  and  seized  him  by  the 
arm  as  he  dashed  from  one  place  to  another  in  search  of 
the  gentle  maiden  whose  life  was  part  of  his  own. 

"  Your  daughter  is  out  here,  sir,"  said  Lieutenant 
Somers,  pointing  to  the  spot  where  he  had  borne  her. 

"  My  daughter  !  "  gasped  the  agonized  father.  "Where, 
where  ?  " 

"  In  this  direction,  sir." 

"  Is  she  —  O  Heaven,  spare  me  !  "  groaned  he. 

"  She  is  hurt,  but  I  think  not  very  badly.  Her  left 
arm  is  broken,  and  her  head  is  slightly  cut." 

"  O  God,  I  thank  thee !  "    gasped  the  father,  as  he 


THE   ADVEXTURES    OF   AX  ARMY   OFFICER.  2t 

■walked  witli  the  lieutenant  to  the  place  where  the  young 
lady  was  sitting  on  the  grass. 

"  I  think  you  need  not  be  alarmed  about  her,"  added 
our  officer,  anxious  to  console  the  suflfering  parent. 

"  My  poor  Emmie ! "  exclaimed  the  anxious  father 
Avheu  they  reached  the  spot,  while  he  knelt  down  upon 
the  grass  by  her  side,  the  tears  coursing  in  torrents  down 
his  pale  cheek. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,  father,"  replied  she,  putting  her 
uninjured  arm  around  his  neck  and  kissing  him,  while 
their  tears  mingled.     "I  am  not  much  hurt,  father." 

Lieutenant  Somers  had  a  heart  as  well  as  a  strong  and 
willing  arm,  and  he  could  not  restrain  his  own  tears  as 
he  witnessed  the  touching  scene.  The  meeting  seemed 
to  be  so  sacred  to  him,  that  he  could  not  stand  an  idle 
gazer  upon  the  expression  of  that  hallowed  affection  as  it 
flowed  from  the  warm  hearts  of  the  father  and  daughter. 

"  As  I  can  be  of  no  further  service  here,  I  will  go  and 
do  what  I  can  for  those  who  need  my  help.  If  you  want 
any  assistance,  I  shall  be  close  at  hand,"  said  he,  as  he 
walked  away  to  the  busy  scene  of  woe  which  surrounded 
the  wreck. 

The  wounded,  the  maimed,  and  the  dead  w^ere  rapidly 
taken  from  the  pile  of  ruins,  and  placed  in  the  cars  on 
the  road  ;  and  there  was  no  longer  any  thing  for  the  young 
officer  to  do.  He  returned  to  the  grassy  couch  of  her 
whom  he  could  not  but  regard  as  peculiarly  his  patient. 


28  THE    YOUXG    LIEV TENANT ;    OR, 

The  father  liad  recovered  his  self-possession,  and  satisfied 
himself  that  Emmie  was  not  more  seriously  injured  than 
her  deliverer  had  declared. 

"  My  young  friend,  while  I  thank  God  that  my  daugh- 
ter is  still  alive,  I  am  very  grateful  to  you  for  the  care 
you  have  bestowed  upon  her,"  said  the  father,  as  ho 
grasped  the  young  officer's  hand. 

''  You  may  well  thank  him,  Mr.  Guilford,"  said  one  of 
two  gentlemen  who  had  followed  the  young  officer  to  the 
spot;  "for  the  first  thing  I  saw,  when  I  came  out  from 
under  the  ruins,  was  this  young  man  lifting  half  the  top 
of  the  car  off  your  daughter." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir  ;  but  I  think  we  should  convey 
the  young  lady  up  to  the  cars ;  for  I  see  they  are  about 
ready  to  start,"  said  Lieutenant  Somers,  blushing  up  to 
the  eyes. 

"  I  thank  you,  young  man,"  added  Mr.  Guilford  with 
deep  feeling.  "  I  must  see  you  again,  and  know  niore 
about  you.  Emmie  has  told  me  how  kind  you  have  been 
to  her ;  and  you  may  be  sure  I  shall  never  forget  it  while 
I  live.     Plow  do  you  feel  now,  Emmie  ?  " 

"  My  arm  begins  to  pain  me  a  little,"  she  answered 
languidly. 

"  We  must  put  you  into  the  car,  and  in  a  short  time 
we  shall  be  able  to  do  something  for  you." 

"  I  will  cany  her  up  to  the  train,  sir,"  said  the  young 
officer. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.  29 

"  I  thank  you,  sir,"  said  Emmie  with  a  smile  ;  •'  but 
I  thiuk  I  can  walk." 

"  AVcll,"  said  the  gentleman  who  had  spoken  before, 
"  I  saw  him  cany  you  from  the  wreck  to  this  place  ;  and 
I  am  bound  to  say,  I  never  saw  a  mother  handle  her 
baby  more  tenderly." 

"  I  am  very  grateful  to  him  for  what  he  has  done  for 
me,"  added  Emmie  with  a  slight  blush;  "and,  if  I 
needed  his  services,  I  certainly  should  accept  his  kind 
offer." 

She  took  the  arm  of  her  father,  and  walked  very  well 
till  she  came  to  the  steep  bank,  whose  ascent  required 
more  strength  than  she  then  possessed.  Her  fiither  and 
Lieutenant  Somers  then  made  a  "  hand-chair,"  and  bore 
her  up  to  the  car,  in  which  she  was  as  comfortably  dis- 
posed as  the  circumstances  would  permit.  The  train 
started  with  its  melancholy  freight  of  wounded,  dead, 
and  dying. 

"  I  see,  sir,  you  are  an  officer  in  the  army,"  said  Mr. 
Guilford  as  the  train  moved  off;  "but  I  have  not  yet 
learned  your  name." 

"  Thomas  Somers,  sir,"  replied  our  young  officer. 

"  I  must  trouble  you  to  write  it  down  for  me,  with 
your  residence  when  at  home,  and  your  regiment  in  the 
field." 

Lieutenant  Somers  complied  with  this  request ;  and,  m 
return,  the  gentleman  gave  him  his  address. 


30  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  I  shall  never  forget  you,  Lieutenant  Somers,"  said 
Mr.  Guilford  when  he  had  carefully  deposited  the  paper 
in  his  memorandum-book.  "  I  have  it  in  my  power  to  be 
of  service  to  you  ;  and,  if  you  ever  want  a  friend,  I  shall 
consider  it  a  favor  if  you  will  come  to  me,  or  write 
to  me." 

"  Thank  you,  sir :  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  you. 
But  I  hope  you  won't  consider  yourself  under  any  obliga- 
tions to  me  for  w^hat  I  have  done.  I  couldn't  have  helped 
doing  it  if  I  had  tried." 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,  you  are  in  luck,"  said  the  gentle- 
man who  had  complimented  him  before.  "  That  is  Sen- 
ator Guilford,  of' ;  and  he  will  make  a  brigadier- 
general  of  you  before  you  are  a  year  older." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  31 


CHAPTER    III. 


A   FRIEND    AT   COURT. 


flEUTENANT  SOMERS  sat  down  in  one  corner 
of  the  car,  near  the  seats  occupied  by  Miss  Guil- 
ford and  her  father.  He  was  just  beginning  to  be 
conscious  of  the  fact  that  he  had  done  a  "  big 
thing ;"  not  because  he  had  helped  one  of  God's  suffering 
creatures,  but  because  she  happened  to  be  a  senator's 
daughter.  But  he  still  had  the  happy  reflection,  that 
what  he  had  done  had  been  prompted  by  motives  of 
humanity,  not  by  the  love  of  applause,  or  for  the  pur- 
pose of  winning  the  favor  of  a  great  man  who  could 
dispense  the  "loaves  and  fishes"  when  he  should  need 
them. 

He  was  rather  sensitive.  He  was  a  young  man  of 
eighteen,  and  he  had  not  yet  become  familiar  with  the 
grossness  and  selfishness  of  this  calculating  world.  He 
was  rather  offended  at  the  patronage  Avhich  the  senator 
had  proposed  to  bestow  upon  him,  and  he  even  regretted 
that  he  had  so  readily  given  him  his  address. 

Lieutenant  Somers  regarded  himself  as  emphatically  a 


32  TUE    YOUNG   LIEU  TENANT;    OR, 

fighting  officer ;  and  the  idea  of  working  his  way  up  to 
distinction  by  the  favor  of  a  member  of  Congress  was  re- 
pulsive to  him.  He  really  wished  the  Hon.  Mr.  Guilford 
had  only  thanked  him  for  what  he  had  done,  and  not  said 
a  word  about  having  it  in  his  power  to  be  of  service  to 
him. 

While  he  was  meditating  upon  the  events  w^hich  had 
transpired,  and  the  senator's  patronizing  offer,  he  saw 
Captain  de  Banyan  enter  the  forward  door  of  the  cars, 
through  which  the  gentleman  who  had  taken  so  much 
pains  to  compliment  the  young  officer  had  disappeared  a 
short  time  before.  The  distinguished  captain  walked 
through  the  car  directly  to  the  seat  of  the  lieutenant, 
who  had  not  even  yet  ceased  to  blush  under  the  praises 
which  had  been  bestowed  upon  him. 

"  Somers,  your  hand,"  said  he,  extending  his  oysm.  "  I 
have  heard  all  about  it,  and  am  proud  that  our  regiment 
has  furnished  so  brave  and  devoted  a  man.  Oh,  don't 
blush,  my  dear  fellow !  You  are  a  modest  man.  I  sym- 
pathize with  you  ;  for  I  am  a  modest  man  myself.  I 
didn't  get  over  blushing  for  three  weeks  after  his  impe- 
rial majesty,  the  Emperor  of  France,  complimented  me 
for  some  little  thing  I  did  at  the  battle  of  Palestro." 

"  I  thought  that  was  at  Magenta,"  added  Somers. 

"So  it  was.  The  fact  is,  I  have  been  in  a  gi'eat  many 
battles,  and  I  get  them  mixed  up  a  little  sometimes.  But 
you  are  in  luck,  Somers,"    continued  the   captain  in  a 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  33 

lower  toue,  as  lie  seated  himself  by  the  side  of  his  fellow- 
officer. 

"Why  so?" 

"  They  say  she  is  the  daughter  of  a  senator." 

"What  of  that?" 

"  AVTiat  of  that !  Why,  my  dear  fellow,  you  are  as 
innocent  as  a  schoolgirl.  Don't  you  see  he  can  get  you 
on  some  general's  staif,  and  have  you  promoted  every  time 
there  is  a  skirmish  ?  " 

"  I  don't  want  to  be  promoted  unless  I  earn  it." 

"  Of  coiu-se  you  don't ;  but  every  officer  that  earns  it 
won't  get  it.  By  the  way,  Somers,  can't  you  introduce 
me  to  the  old  gentleman  ?  " 

"  I  never  saw  him  before  in  my  life." 

"  No  matter  for  that.  I'll  warrant  you,  he'll  be  glad  to 
make  all  your  friends  his  friends." 

"  But  I  don't  feel  enough  acquainted  with  him  to  in- 
troduce a  gentleman  whom  I  never  saw  in  my  life  till 
two  hours  ago." 

"  You  are  right,  my  dear  fellow  ;  excuse  me,"  replied 
Captain  de  Banyan,  looking  very  much  disappointed. 
"  I  dare  say,  if  I  should  show  him  the  autograph  of  the 
Emperor  of  France,  he  would  be  very  glad  to  know  me." 

"  No  doubt  of  it.  At  any  rate,  I  recommend  you  to 
make  the  trial." 

"  Yes  ;  but  the  mischief  of  it  is,  I  have  left  all  those 
papers  at  home/' 


34  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OH, 

"  That's  unfortunate,"  added  Lieutenant  Somers,  who 
had  some  serious  doubts  in  regard  to  the  existence  of 
those  papers. 

''  So  it  is.  If  I  had  been  lucky  enough  to  have  made 
the  acquaintance  of  that  young  lady,  as  you  have,  I 
would  not  let  my  aspirations  stop  short  of  the  stars  of 
a  major-general." 

''  You  need  not  as  it  is,  if  you  do  your  duty." 

"  Ah  !  my  dear  fellow,  you  are  as  sentimental  as  a  girl 
of  sixteen.  I  am  a  modest  man  ;  but,  in  my  estimation, 
there  are  ten  thousand  men  in  the  army  as  good  as  I  am. 
They  can't  all  be  major-generals,  can  they?" 

"  Certainly  not." 

"Then,  if  you  live  a  few  months  longer,  you  will  find 
out  how  good  a  thing  it  is  to  have  a  friend  at  court.  You 
are  a  modest  young  man  ;  but  I  suppose  you  think  there 
isn't  another  man  in  the  army  who  is  quite  your  equal, 
and  that  your  merit  and  your  bravery  will  make  a  briga- 
dier of  you  in  less  than  a  year.  It's  a  good  thing  to 
think  so  ;  but "  — 

"  I  don't  think  so.  That  Avould  be  modesty  with  a 
vengeance." 

"  I  was  a  sentimental  boy  like  you  once,  and  I  was 
just  as  certain  that  I  shoidd  be  made  a  field-marshal, 
and  have  the  command  of 'the  French  army  in  the 
Crimea  "  — 

"  I  thought  you  were  in  the  English  army  in  the  Cri- 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICER.  35 

mea,"  iuterposed  the  young  lieutenant,  eager  to  change 
the  subject. 

"  Certainly,  in  the  English  army  ;  that's  what  I  said," 
continued  the  gallant  captain,  entirely  unmoved  by  the 
interruption.  "  I  was  just  as  sure  of  having  the  com- 
mand of  the  British  army  in  the  Crimea  as  you  are  of 
becoming  a  brigadier  by  the  time  we  get  into  Richmond. 
But  I  have  no  friends  at  court  as  you  have  now." 

"  I  never  thought  of  such  a  thing  as  being  a  brigadier," 
protested  Somers.  "  I  never  even  expected  to  become  a 
second  lieutenant." 

"  It  isn't  much  to  be  a  brigadier.  I  served  with 
'  Old  Rosey '  in  West  Virginia  for  a  time.  We  had  a 
capta-in  there  who  didn't  know  any  more  about  military 
than  a  swine  does  about  Lord  Chesterfield's  table  eti- 
quette. He  went  into  action  with  a  cane  in  his  hand, 
hawbucking  his  company  about  just  as  a  farmer  does  a 
yoke  of  cattle.  That  fellow  is  a  brigadier-general  now ; 
and  there's  hope  for  you  and  me,  if  we  can  only  have  a 
friend  at  court." 

"  I  am  higher  now  than  I  ever  expected  to  be,  and  I 
wouldn't  give  a  straw  for  fifty  friends  at  court." 

"  That's  because  you  are  sentimental ;  but  you'll  get 
over  that." 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,"  said  Senator  Guilford,  who  had 
risen  from  his  seat,  and  approached  that  occupied  by  the 
two  officers,  "I  shall  leave  the  train  at  the  next  stopping- 


36  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

place,  in  order  to  procure  proper  medical  attendance  for 
my  daughter.  I  desire  again  to  express  my  thanks  to  you 
for  the  signal  service  you  have  rendered  to  my  daughter." 

Our  hero  blushed  again,  and  stammered  out  some 
deprecatory  remark. 

"  When  you  are  in  "Washington,  you  must  call  and  see 
me.  You  must  promise  this  for  Emmie's  sake,  if  not  for 
mine,"  added  the  senator. 

"  I  should  be  very  happy  to  call,"  replied  the  young 
officer. 

"  My  friend  Lieutenant  Somers  is  as  bashful  as  a 
maiden  of  sweet  sixteen,"  interposed  Captain  de  Ban- 
yan. "I  beg  your  pardon,  Mr.  Guilford:  though  your 
name  and  fame  are  familiar  to  me,  I  have  not  the  honor 
of  your  personal  acquaintance  ;  but,  under  the  circum- 
stances, I  shall  make  it  part  of  my  duty  to  see  that  my 
friend  does  not  neglect  your  reasonable  request." 

"  Thank  you,  sir,"  replied  the  senator. 

"  Captain  de  Banyan,  at  your  service,"  added  the 
modest  officer  Avho  had  served  in  Italy  and  the  Crimea. 

"  Thank  you,  Captain  de  Banyan.  I  see  you  are  in 
the  same  regiment  with  Lieutenant  Somers." 

"Yes,  sir,  I  have  that  honor  ;  and  I  assure  you  there  is 
not  a  nobler  and  braver  young  officer  in  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac.  He  reminds  me  very  much  of  a  splendid  fel- 
low I  served  with  in  the  Crimea." 

"Ah  !  were  you  in  the  Crimea?" 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  37 

"  I  was,  sir  ;  and  he  looks  very  much  like  Captain  de 
Waite,  whom  I  saw  made  a  major  on  the  field  of  Ma- 
genta, for  the  most  daring  bravery,  by  the  Emperor  of 

France." 

''  You  have  seen  service,  captain,"  added  the  senator. 

"  A  little,  sir." 

''  You  must  speak  with  my  daughter,  lieutenant,  be- 
fore we  part,"  continued  Mr.  Guilford.  "  Her  gratitude 
has  no  limit." 

Lieutenant  Somers  was  astounded  by  the  effrontery  of 
his  military  companion,  who  had  claimed  to  be  his 
friend,  and  forced  himself  upon  the  acquaintance  of  the 
powerful  man  on  the  strength  of  that  intimacy ;  had 
even  brought  to  his  notice  the  fact  — if  it  was  a  fact  — 
that  he  had  been  at  Magenta  and  in  the  Crimea.  The 
simple-minded  young  man  had  seen  no  such  diplomacy  in 
Pinchbrook,  or  in  the  course  of  his  travels  in  Maryland 
and  Virginia  ;  and  he  was  fearful  that  the  audacious  fellow 
would  dare  to  address  the  daughter  as  he  had  the  father. 
"  Be  seated,"  said  the  senator,  as  he  pointed  to  the 
seat  in  front  of  Miss  Emmie. 

She  was  pale,  and  appeared  to  be  suffering  from  the 
pain  of  her  broken  arm ;  but  she  bestowed  a  sweet  smile 
upon  him  as  he  took  the  proffered  seat. 

"Lieutenant  Somers,  after  what  I  have  heard  from 
Mr.  Ilolman,"  — that  was  the  gentleman  who  had  spoken 
so  handsomely  of  him,  —  "  I  feel  sure  that  I  owe  my  life 
to  you." 


38  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"I  think  not,  Miss  Guilford,"  replied  the  lieutenant, 
very  much  embarrassed.  "I  only  pulled  you  out  from 
the  ruins  ;  I  couldn't  have  helped  doing  it  if  I  had  tried  : 
and  I  hope  you  won't  feel  under  any  obligations  to  me/' 

"But  I  do  feel  under  very  great  obligations  to  you, 
and  I  assure  you  I  am  happy  to  owe  my  life  to  so  brave 
and  gallant  a  soldier." 

Somers  felt  just  as  though  he  was  reading  an  excit- 
ing chapter  in  a  sensation  novel ;  though  he  could  not  help 
thinking  of  Lilian  Ashford,  and  thus  spoiling  all  the 
romance  of  the  affair.  He  made  no  reply  to  Miss  Em- 
mie's pretty  speech  ;  it  was  utterly  impossible  for  him  to 
do  so  :  and  therein  he  differed  from  all  the  heroes  of  the 
novels. 

"  I  want  to  hear  from  you  some  time,  and  even  to 
see  you  again.  You  must  promise  to  call  and  see  me 
when  we  get  to  Washington." 

"  I  may  not  be  able  to  leave  my  regiment  at  that 
time." 

"  Oh  !  my  father  will  get  you  a  furlough  any  time  you 
want  one." 

Lieutenant  Somers  thought  he  should  like  to  see  him- 
self asking  a  furlough  to  enable  him  to  visit  a  young  lady 
in  "Washington,  even  if  she  was  a  senator's  daughter  ;  but 
he  promised  to  call  at  INIr.  Guilford's  whenever  he  hap- 
pened to  be  at  the  capital,  which  was  entirely  satisfactory 
to  the  young  lady.     Though  Emmie  was  by  this  time 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.  39 

suffering  severely,  she  managed  to  say  several  pleasant 
things  ;  and  among  them  she  hinted  that  her  father  could 
make  a  brigadier  as  easily  as  a  tinker  could  make  a  tin 
kettle. 

The  train  arrived  at  the  stopping-place  ;  and  Mr.  Guil- 
ford, with  the  assistance  of  Lieutenant  Somers,  placed  his 
daughter  in  a  carriage.  Captain  de  Banyan  was  very 
anxious  to  assist  in  the  operation ;  but  the  sufferer  de- 
clined. They  parted  with  a  renewed  promise  on  the  part 
of  the  young  officer  to  visit  her  in  Washington,  whenever 
his  duty  called  him  to  that  city.  The  cars  arrived  in 
New  York  two  hours  behind  time,  —  too  late  to  connect 
with  the  train  for  Philadelphia.  Captain  de  Banyan  pro- 
posed, as  they  were  obliged  to  remain  in  the  city  over 
night,  that  they  should  stop  at  the  "  Fifth  Avenue," 
declaring  it  was  the  best  hotel  in  New  York.  Somers 
objected  ;  hoping  that  he  should  thus  escape  the  society  of 
the  captain,  who  appeared  to  be  altogether  too  "fast" 
for  his  time. 

De  Banyan  was  accommodating  ;  and,  when  the  lieuten- 
ant mentioned  a  small  hotel, down  town,  he  readily  agreed 
to  the  proposition,  and  Somers  found  it  useless  to  attempt 
to  get  rid  of  him.  The  captain,  for  some  reason  or  other, 
appeared  to  have  taken  a  decided  liking  to  our  officer. 
Perhaps  he  hoped  to  share  with  him  the  powerful  patron- 
age of  Senator  Guilford. 

After  supper.  Captain  de  Banyan  proposed  that  they 


40  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    Oli, 

should  go  out  and  see  the  "elephant;"  but  Somers, 
having  no  taste  for  the  study  of  this  description  of 
natural  history,  positively  declined  to  see  the  metaphori- 
cal monster. 

"  We  must  go  somewhere,"  persisted  the  captain,  taking 
up  a  newspaper.  "  Here's  a  '  Lecture  on  the  Battle  of 
Bull  Run,  by  Lieutenant-Colonel  Staggerback,  who  par- 
ticipated in  that  memorable  action,"*  he  continued,  read- 
ing from  the  paper. 

"  I  was  in  that  battle  myself:  I  don't  object  to  that," 
replied  Somers. 
^     "  Good  !     Then  we'll  go." 

They  walked  up  Broadway  till  they  came  to  one  of 
those  gaudy  saloons  where  rum  and  ruin  are  tricked 
out  in  the  gayest  of  colors. 

"  "We  are  early  for  the  lecture,  Somers.  Let's  go  in 
here,  and  see  what  there  is  to  be  seen." 

"  No,  I  thank  you  :  I  don't  care  about  going  into  any 
of  these  dens  of  vice  and  sin." 

*' '  Vice  is  a  monster  of  so  frightful  mien, 
As,  to  be  hated,  nee^s  but  to  be  seen,' " 

repeated  the  captain  with  dramatic  force. 

*•  ♦  But  seen  too  oft '"— 

"  You  needn't  see  it  but  once.  Don't  you  want  to  see 
the  lions  of  the  metropolis  ?  " 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  AliMT   OFFICER.  41 

"  Don't  object  to  the  lions  ;  but,  in  my  opinion,  you  will 
find  only  the  donkeys  in  there." 

"Let  us  see,  at  any  rate." 

*'  I  will  go  in  for  a  moment,"  replied  Somers,  who  did 
not  like  to  seem  over-squeamish. 

They  entered  this  outer  gate  of  ruin.  There  was  a 
bar  at  the  end  next  to  the  street,  while  at  the  other  end  a 
band  of  music  was  playing  the  national  airs.  It  looked 
like  a  very  pleasant  place  to  the  young  lieutenant,  who 
had  never  entered  one  of  these  saloons  before. 


4:2  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 


CHAPTER    IV. 

THE    FIRE    OF   TEIVrPTATION. 

^^^APTAIN  DE  BANYAN  sauntered  gracefully 
/I  up  the  saloon,  with  Somers  at  his  side.  He 
\^|y  appeared  to  be  perfectly  at  home,  and  to  have 
all  the  ease  and  finish  of  a  thorough  man  of  the 
world.  His  movements  were  calculated  to  make  a  sensa- 
tion ;  and,  as  he  passed  along,  old  topers  and  gay  young 
bloods  paused  to  glance  at  him.  If  the  captain  had  been 
in  command  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  his  elevated 
position  would  hardly  have  justified  a  more  extensive 
flourish  than  he  made. 

Lieutenant  Somers  was  duly  impressed  by  the  magni- 
ficence of  his  companion,  though  the  surroundings  of  the 
place  created  some  painful  misgivings  in  his  mind.  The 
captain  sat  down  at  one  of  the  little  tables  where  the  fre- 
quenters of  the  saloon  who  were  disposed  to  prolong  the 
enjoyment  of  their  drams  discussed  "juleps,"  "  cobblers," 
and  other  villanous  compounds. 

Somers  could  not  do  less  than  seat  himself  at  the  other 
side  of  the  table.     He  was  ill  at  ease,  even  while  he  was 


THE  ADVEXTUIiES   OF  A^  ARMY   OFFICER.  43 

endcavoriug  to  seem  iiHlilferent.  aud  at  home.  I  am  sorry 
to  say  he  "vvas  haunted  by  that  abominable  bugbear  which 
often  takes  possession  of  the  minds  of  young  men  when 
they  find  themselves  in  the  presence  of  those  -who  are 
adepts  in  the  arts  of  vice, — a  fear  of  being  thought 
"  green,".  "  verdant,"  or  being  measured  by  some  other 
adjective  used  in  fast  circles  to  caricature  the  innocence 
of  a  soul  imsullied  by  contact  with  the  vices  and  follies 
of  the  city.  He  half  expected  that  some  of  the  disso- 
lute young  wretches  Avho  were  drinking,  swearing,  and 
pouring  the  filth  of  a  poisoned  mind  from  their  lips,  would 
ask  him  if  "  his  mother  kneiv  he  w^as  out."  He  tried  to 
maintain  his  self-possession,  and  to  seem  at  home  where 
ruin  was  riotino^  in  the  souls  of  young  men.  If  he  did 
not  entirely  succeed,  it  Avas  all  the  more  to  his  credit. 

"What  will  you  take?"  demanded  Captain  de  Banyan, 
after  they  had  sat  at  the  table  long  enough  to  examine 
the  prominent  features  of  the  saloon. 

"  Take  a  walk,"  replied  Lieutenant  Somers. 

"  No,  no  !     TVhat  ^\\\\  you  drink  ?  " 

"  Nothing,  thank  you.  I've  just  been  to  supper,  and 
don't  want  any  thing." 

"  Yes  ;  but  people  who  come  in  here,  and  listen  to  the 
music,  are  expected  to  patronize  the  establishment.  I'm 
going  to  have  a  brandy  smash ;  shall  I  order  one  for 
you?" 

"  No,  I  thank  you." 


44  TEE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT;    OS, 

"But  I  can't  drink  alone." 

"  I  never  drink." 

"  Nonsense  !  A  lieutenant  in  our  regiment,  and  not 
drink !  I  see !  You  haven't  learned  yet ;  but  it  Mion't 
take  you  long.  Your  case  is  exactly  my  own.  I  Avas 
about  your  age  Avlien  I  went  to  the  Crimea,  and  didn't 
know  wine  from  brandy.  After  the  battle  of  Balaclava, 
where  I  did  some  little  thing  which  excited  the  admira- 
tion of  the  nobs  in  command,  Lord  Raglan  sent  for  me, 
and  invited  me  to  take  a  glass  of  wine  with  him.  Of 
course,  I  could  not  refuse  his  lordsliip,  especially  as  he 
was  in  the  very  act  of  complimenting  me  for  what  he  was 
pleased  to  call  my  gallant  conduct.  I  drank  my  first 
glass  of  wine  then.  It  was  Sicily  Madeira,  a  light,  sweet 
wine  ;  and,  my  dear  fellow,  you  shall  begin  with  the  same, 
and  we  will  drink  the  health  of  Senator  Guilford  and  liis 
fair  daughter.  "Waiter,  one  brandy-smash  and  one  Sicily 
Madeira." 

"  Really,  Captain  de  Banyan,  you  must  excuse  me," 
stammered  Somers,  completely  bewildered  by  the  elo- 
quent and  insinuating  manners  of  his  brilliant  com- 
panion, who  had  spoken  loud  enough  to  attract  the  at- 
tention of  a  dozen  idlers  greedy  for  excitement  of  any 
kind,  and  to  whom  the  latter  part  of  his  remarks  seemed 
to  be  addressed,  rather  than  to  the  timid  young  man  in 
front  of  him. 

Captain  de  Banyan  appeared  to  have  a  point  to  carry ; 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  45 

■which  was  iiDthiug  less  than  to  overcome  the  conscien- 
tious scruples  of  the  young  officer.  He  had  spoken  loud 
enough  to  attract  the  attention  of  these  miserable  tipplers, 
that  Somers  might  be  overawed  by  their  presence,  and  in- 
timidated by  their  sneers,  and  thus  compelled  to  taste  the 
intoxicating  cup.  The  squad  of  fast  men  who  had  taken 
positions  near  the  table  Avere  interested  in  the  scene,  and 
impatient  to  see  the  pure  soul  tumbled  from  its  lofty  emi- 
nence. 

*'  Here's  the  nectar ! "  almost  shouted  the  captain  as 
the  waiter  placed  the  drinks  upon  the  table.  "  Wine  for 
you ;  brandy  for  me.  You  will  be  promoted  to  brandy 
one  of  these  days,  my  boy,  when  your  head  is  stronger 
and  your  nerves  stiffer.  Lieutenant  Somers,  here's  to 
the  health  of  the  patriot  statesman.  Senator  Guilford, 
and  his  lovely  daughter  ;  "  and  the  captain  pushed  aside 
the  straw  in  the  vile  compound,  and  raised  the  glass  to 
his  lips. 

Somers  w^as  embarrassed  at  his  position,  and  be- 
wildered by  the  dashing  speeches  of  his  companion.  A 
dozen  pair  of  leering  eyes  Avere  fixed  upon  him  ;  a  dozen 
mouths  were  A\Tinkled  into  sottish  smiles,  called  up  by 
his  sufferings  at  that  critical  moment.  He  reached  forth 
his  hand,  and  grasped  the  slender  stem  of  the  wine- 
glass ;  but  his  arm^trembled  more  than  that  of  the  most 
hardened  toper  in  the  group  before  him.  He  had  been 
trembling  in   the  presence  of  that  squad  of  tyrants, — 


46  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

those  leer-eyed,  grinning  debauchees,  who  seemed  to  be 
opening  the  gate  of  hell,  and  bidding  him  enter. 

"Tom  Somers,"  said  the  still  small  voice  Avhich  had 
spoken  to  him  a  thousand  times  before  in  the  perils'  and 
temptations  through  "svhich  he  had  passed,  "  you  have 
behaved  yourself  very  well  thus  far.  You  have  been 
promoted  for  bravery  on  the  battle-field ;  and  now  will 
you  cower  in  the  presence  of  this  brilliant  brawler,  and 
these  weak-minded,  cowardly  tipplers?  ^Miat  would 
your  mother  say  if  she  could  see  you  now,  with  your 
shaking  hand  fastened  to  the  wine-cup?  What  would 
Lilian  Ashford  say  ?  Dare  you  drink  the  health  of  Em- 
mie Guilford  in  such  a  place  as  this  ?  You  should  have 
smote  the  lips  that  mentioned  her  name  in  such  a  pres- 
ence ! " 

He  drew  back  his  hand  from  the  glass.  His  muscles 
tightened  up,  as  they  had  on  the  bloody  field  of  Williams- 
burg.    Tom  Somers  was  himself  again. 

"  Come,  Somers,  you  don't  drink,"  added  the  captain 
sarcastically. 

"  No,  I  thank  you  ;  I  never  drink,"  he  answered  reso- 
lutely, as  he  cast  a  steady  glance  of  pity  and  contempt  at 
the  bloated  crew  who  had  been  revelling  in  his  embarrass- 
ment. 

"  You  won't  refuse  now  ?  " 

"  Most  decidedly." 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,  I  took  you  for  a  young  man  of 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.  47 

pluck.  I'm  disappoiuted.  You  will  pardon  me,  my 
dear  fellow  ;  but  I  can't  help  regarding  your  conduct  as 
rather  shabby." 

"  I  never  drink,  as  I  have  said  before  ;  and  I  do  not 
intend  to  begin  now.  If  I  have  been  shabby,  I  hope  you 
will  excuse  me." 

"  Certainly  I  will  excuse  you,  when  you  atone  for 
your  folly,  and  drink  with  me." 

The  spectators  laughed,  and  evidently  thought  the  cap- 
tain had  made  a  point. 

"  Then  I  can  never  atone  for  my  folly,  as  you  call 
it,"  replied  Somers,  his  courage  increasing  as  the  trial 
demanded  it. 

"  What  would  Lord  Raglan  have  said  if  I  had  refused 
to  drink  his  Sicily  Madeira  ?  " 

"  Very  likely  he  would  have  said  just  what  you  said  ; 
but  there  would  have  been  no  more  sense  in  it  then  than 
now." 

"  Bully  for  young  'un ! "  said  a  seedy  dandy,  whose 
love  of  fancy  drinks  had  made  a  compromise  "vvith  his 
love  of  dress. 

''  I  will  leave  it  to  these  gentlemen  to  decide  whether 
I  have  not  spoken  reason  and  good  sense." 

"  I  will  leave  you  and  these  gentlemen  to  settle  that 
question  to  suit  yourselves,  and  I  will  bid  you  good 
evening,"  said  Somers,  rising  from  his  chair. 

The  unpleasant  emphasis  which  he  placed  upon  the 


48  ^-H^    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

Avord  "  gentlemen "  created  a  decided  sensation  among 
the  group  of  idlers ;  and,  as  be  stepped  from  behind  the 
table,  he  was  confronted  by  a  young  man  with  blood- 
shot eyes  and  bloated  cheeks,  but  dressed  in  the  ex- 
treme of  fashion. 

"  Sir,  you  wear  the  colors  of  the  United-States  army," 
said  the  juvenile  tippler  ;  "  but  you  can't  be  permitted  to 
insult  a  gentleman  with  impunity." 

Lieutenant  Somers  wanted  to  laugh  in  the  face  of 
this  specimen  of  bar-room  chivalry,  for  he  forcibly  re- 
minded him  of  a  belligerent  little  bantam-rooster  that 
paraded  the  barnyard  of  his  mother's  cottage  at  Pinch- 
brook  ;  but  he  was  prudent  enough  not  to  give  any  further 
cause  of  offence.  Bestowing  one  glance  at  this  champion 
of  the  tippler's  coterie,  he  turned  aside,  and  attempted  to 
move  towards  the  door. 

"  Stop,  sir,"  continued  the  young  man,  who  plainly 
wanted  to  make  a  little  capital  out  of  a  fight,  in  defence 
of  the  dignity  of  his  friends.  "  You  can't  go  without  an 
apolog}'-,  or  —  or  a  fight,"  added  the  bully,  shaking  his 
head  significantly,  as  he  placed  himself  in  front  of  the 
young  lieutenant. 

"What  am  I  to  apologize  for?"  asked  Somers. 

"  You  insulted  the  whole  party  of  us.  You  intimated 
that  we  were  no  gentlemen." 

"I  haven't  spoken  to  any  of  you  since  I  came  in," 
protested  Somers.     "  I  never  had  any  thing  to  do  with 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  49 

you,  and  I  don't  know  whether  you  are  gentlemen  or 
not." 

*'  You  hear  that,  gentlemen  !  "  added  the  bully. 

"  I  think  I  have  said  all  that  is  necessary  to  say,  and 
with  your  leave  I  will  go,"  said  Somers. 

"  Stop,  sir  !  "  snarled  the  young  ruffian,  putting  his  hand 
on  the  lieutenant's  collar. 

*'  Take  your  hand  off!  "  said  he  sternly. 

The  fellow  complied. 

"This  thing  has  gone  far  enough,  sir,"  said  Captain 
de  Banyan,  stepping  between  Somers  and  his  assailant. 
*'  Lieutenant  Somers  is  my  friend ;  and,  if  you  put  the 
weight  of  your  little  finger  upon  him,  I'll  annihilate  you 
quicker  than  I  did  a  certain  Austrian  field-marshal  at 
the  battle  of  Solferino.  Gentlemen,  permit  me  to  apolo- 
gize for  my  inexperienced  friend  if  he  has  uttered  any 
indiscreet  word." 

"He  must  apologize!"  blustered  the  young  ruffian. 
"He  says  we  are  no  gentlemen.     Let  him  prove  it." 

"  You  have  proved  it  yourself,  you  little  ape,"  replied 
the  captain,  as  he  stepped  up  to  the  bar,  and  paid  his 
reckoning,  bestowing  no  more  attention  upon  the  ruffled 
little  bully  than  if  he  had  been  a  very  small  puppy  ;  which 
perhaps  he  was  not,  by  a  strict  construction  of  terms. 

"  I  demand  satisfaction  ! "  roared  the  flashy  little  toper. 
"Apologize,  or  fight !  " 

"Neither,  my  gay  and  festive  lark,"  said  the  captain 


50  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

with  abundant  good  humor,  as  he  took  Somers's  arm,  and 
sauntered  leisurely  towards  the  door.  ''  Now,  my  dear 
fellow,  we  will  go  and  hear  what  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Staggerback  has  to  say  about  the  battle  of  Bull  Run. 
I  was  in  that  action,  and  rallied  the  Fire  Zouaves 
when  Colonel  Ellsworth  was  killed." 

*'  Colonel  Ellsworth  !  He  wasn't  killed  at  Bull  Run  !  " 
exclaimed  Somers,  astonished  beyond  measure  at  the  sin- 
gular character  which  his  companion  was  developing. 

*'  You  are  right :  he  was  killed  at  Ball's  Bluff." 

"  I  think  not ;  but  were  you  at  Bull  Run?  " 

"  Certainly  I  was.  I  was  on  General  Fremont's 
staff." 

"  "Were  you,  indeed?    Whew ! " 

"What  maybe  the  precise  meaning  of  that  whistle? 
Do  you  think  I  was  not  there  ?  " 

"Well,  I  don't  remember  to  have  seen  you  there?" 

"  Very  likely  you  did  not ;  but  you  will  call  to  mind 
the  fact,  that  things  were  rather  mixed  up  in  that  action. 
But  never  mind  that :  we  will  talk  those  things  over  when 
we  get  down  upon  the  Peninsula,  and  have  nothing  else  to 
think  about.  Do  you  really  mean  to  say,  my  dear  fellow, 
that  you  never  drink  at  all?" 

"I  do  not." 

"  Well,  I  have  heard  of  a  man  climbing  up  to  the  moon 
on  a  greased  rainbow ;  but  I  never  heard  of  an  officer 
before  that  didn't  drink." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  51 

"  I'm  afraid  you  haven't  been  very  careful  in  the 
choice  of  your  companions.  I  know  a  great  many 
that  never  taste  liquor  under  any  circumstances.'* 

*'  It  may  be  so  ;  and  I  am  willing  to  confess  that  I 
have  found  one.  I  wouldn't  have  believed  it  before  if 
I  had  read  it  in  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  I 
owe  you  an  apology,  then,  for  letting  on  in  that  saloon. 
I  didn't  mean  to  hurt  your  feelings,  my  dear  fellow  ;  but 
I  thought  you  were  joking." 

''  I  hope  you  will  not  repeat  the  experiment,  then ; 
though  I  shall  consider  myself  fair  game  if  I  ever  enter 
another  rum-shop,"  replied  Somers. 

They  proceeded  to  the  place  designated  for  the  lecture  ; 
and  Captain  de  Banyan  betrayed  his  interest  in  that 
memorable  battle,  where  he  had  served  on  the  staff  of 
General  Fremont,  by  going  to  sleep  before  the  eloquent 
"  participant "  had  got  half-way  through  the  exordium. 
Lieutenant  Somers  listened  attentively  until  he.  was  satis- 
fied that  Colonel  Staggerback  either  was  not  in  the  battle, 
or  that  he  had  escorted  "Bull-Run  Russell"  off  the  field. 

"WTien  the  lecture  was  finished,  Somers  awakened  his 
edified  companion,  and  they  returned  to  the  hotel ;  though 
the  captain  hinted  several  times  on  the  way  that  the 
"elephant"  could  be  seen  to  better  advantage  in  New 
York  than  in  any  other  city  in  the  Union.  The  young 
lieutenant  had  an  utter  disgust  for  the  elephant,  and  took 


52  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

no  hints.  Before  he  retired  that  night,  he  thanked  God, 
more  earnestly  and  devoutly  than  usual,  that  he  had  been 
enabled  to  pass  unscathed  through  the  fires  of  temptation. 
He  Avas  still  in  condition  to  look  his  mother  in  the  face. 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.  53 


CHAPTER  V. 


ON   THE    SKIRMISH    LINE. 


'N  the  morning  our  travellers  resumed  their  journey, 
more  refreshed  and  in  better  condition  for  service 
than  if  they  had  spent  the  evening  in  chasing  the 
"  elephant "  from  one  to  another  of  the  gilded 
dens  of  dissipation  with  which  the  metropolis  abounds. 
In  spite  of  his  errors  and  sins,  Somers  could  not  help 
liking  his  dashing  companion.  He  was  a  dangerous 
person  ;  but  his  enthusiasm  was  so  captivating,  that  he 
could  not  close  his  heart  against  him.  But,  while  he 
liked  the  captain,  he  hated  his  vices. 

They  stopped  in  Philadelphia  only  long  enough  to  dine, 
and  in  Baltimore  only  long  enough  for  supper  ;  arriv- 
ing at  Washington  in  the  evening.  Captain  de  Banyan 
again  proposed  to  "go  round  ;"  which,  rendered  into  un- 
mistakable English,  meant  to  visit  the  drinking-houses 
and  gambling-saloons  of  the  city,  to  say  nothing  of  worse 
places.  Lieutenant  Somers  had  gro^^^l  wise  by  experi- 
ence ;  and  no  amount  of  persuasion  could  induce  him  to 
leave  the  hotel.      It  was  horrible  to   him  to  think  of 


54  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

spending  even  his  leisure  time  in  the  haunts  of  dissipation, 
when  his  country  was  bleeding  from  a  thousand  wounds  ; 
when  his  gallant  comrades  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac 
were  enduring  peril  and  hardship  in  front  of  the  enemy. 
He  had  no  taste  for  carousing  at  any  time,  and  every 
fibre  of  his  moral  nature  was  firmly  set  against  the 
vices  which  lured  on  his  reckless  companion. 

Lieutenant  Somers  staid  at  the  hotel  that  evening, 
listening  to  the  conversation  of  the  officers  who  had  been 
at  the  front  within  a  few  days.  The  great  battle  of  Fair 
Oaks  had  been  fought  during  his  absence,  and  there  was 
every  prospect  that  the  most  tremendous  operations  of 
the  war  would  soon  commence.  He  listened  with  the 
deepest  interest  to  the  accounts  from  the  army,  and 
needed  none  of  the  stimulus  of  the  bar-room  or  the 
gambling-saloon  to  furnish  him  with  excitement.  He 
was  soon  to  be  an  actor  in  the  momentous  events  of  the 
campaign ;  and  the  thought  was  full  of  inspiration,  and 
lifted  him  up  from  the  gross  and  vulgar  tastes  of  his 
companion. 

Before  noon  the  next  day,  somewhat  against  the  incli- 
nation of  Captain  de  Banyan,  the  two  officers  were  on 
board  a  steamer  bound  down  the  river.  After  some 
delays,  they  arrived  at  White  House,  on  the  Pamunkey 
River ;  and  then  proceeded  by  railroad  nearly  to  the 
camp  of  the  regiment,  at  Poplar  Hill,  in  the  very  depths 
of  Wliite-oak  Swamp. 


THE  ADVENTURES  OF  AX  AltMT  OFFICER.  55 

"  My  blessed  boy ! "  shouted  Sergeant  Hapgood  when 
Lieutenant  Somers  appeared  in  the  camp. 

The  veteran  rushed  upon  him,  and,  not  content  to  shake 
his  hand,  he  proceeded  to  hug  him  in  the  most  extraor- 
dinary manner, 

"I  am  glad  to  see  you,  Hapgood!  How  have  you 
been  since  I  left?"  said  Somers. 

"  First-rate  !  Bless  my  withered  old  carcass,  Tom, 
but  I  thought  I  never  should  see  you  again.  Why,  Tom, 
how  handsome  you've  grown  !  Well,  you'll  be  a  briga- 
dier one  of  these  days,  and  there  won't  be  a  better  looking 
officer  on  the  field.  Dear  me,  Tom —  Beg  pardon  :  I 
forgot  that  you  are  an  officer ;  and  I  mustn't  call  you 
Tom  any  more." 

"  Never  mind  that,  uncle,"  added  Somers,  laughing. 
"  It  would  hardly  be  good  discipline  for  a  sergeant  to  call 
an  officer  by  a  nickname  ;  but  we  will  compromise,  and 
you  shall  call  me  Tom  when  we  are  not  on  duty,  and 
there  is  no  one  within  hearing." 

"  Compromise !  Don't  never  use  that  word  to  me. 
After  we  fit  the  battle  of  Bull  Run,  I  gouged  that  word 
out  of  my  dictionary.  No,  sir !  You  are  a  leftenant 
now ;  and  I  shall  allers  call  you  Leftenant  Somers,  even 
if  there  ain't  nobody  within  ten  mile  of  us." 

"Just  as  you  please,  uncle;  but,  whatever  you  call 
me,  we  shall  be  just  as  good  friends  as  we  ever  were." 

"  That's  so,  Leftenant  Somers."  . 


56  THE    TO  UNO  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Precisely,  Sergeant  Hapgood." 

"Now,  what's  the  news  in  Pinchbrook ? "  asked  the 
veteran. 

But,  before  Somers  had  a  chance  to  tell  the  news  from 
home,  he  was  welcomed  to  the  camp,  and  cheered,  by 
officers  and  men ;  and  his  account  of  what  had  trans- 
pired in  Pinchbrook  during  his  thirty-days'  furlough  was 
eagerly  listened  to  by  a  large  and  attentive  audience.  He 
received  in  return  a  full  history  of  the  regiment  during  his 
absence.  Though  the  narrative  of  sundry  exciting  events, 
such  as  forrays  upon  pig-sties,  poultry-yards,  and  kitchen- 
gardens,  was  highly  amusing,  there  was  a  tale  of  sadness 
to  tell,  —  of  deaths  by  disease  and  on  the  battle-field. 

Many  cheerful  hearts,  that  were  beating  with  life  and 
hope  a  few  weeks  before,  were  now  silent  in  the  grave,  — 
the  soldier's  mausoleum  in  a  strange  land.  But  soldiers 
have  no  time  to  weep  over  a  dead  past ;  they  must  live  in 
the  hope  of  a  glorious  future  :  and  when  they  had  dropped 
a  tear  to  the  memory  of  the  noble  and  the  true  who  had 
fallen  on  the  field  or  died  in  the  hospital,  victims  of  the 
pestilential  airs  of  the  swamp,  they  laughed  as  merrily  as 
£ver,  careless  of  Death's  poised  arrows  which  were  always 
aimed  at  them. 

Captain  de  Banyan  took  his  place  in  the  regiment, 
where  Somers  found  that  he  was  prodigiously  popular, 
even  after  a  few  hours'  acquaintance  with  his  new  com- 
mand ;  but  who  he  was,  where  he  came  from,  and  how 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  57 

he  had  procured  his  commission,  was  a  mystery  to  offi- 
cers and  men.  lie  told  tremendous  stories  about  the 
Crimea  and  the  Italian  war  ;  and  now,  for  the  first  time, 
intimated  that  he  was  the  only  survivor  of  the  company 
which  led  the  advance  at  the  storming  of  Chepultepec, 
in  the  Mexican  war.  However  much  the  officers  enjoyed 
his  stories,  it  is  not  probable  that  all  of  them  believed 
what  they  heard. 

Lieutenant  Somers  was  perfectly  familiar  with  the 
company  and  battalion  drill ;  and,  having  quick  percep- 
tion and  abundant  self-possession,  lie  was  competent  at 
once  to  perform  his  duties  as  an  officer.  He  had  no  vices 
to  be  criticised  by  the  men,  who  respected  him  not  only 
for  his  bravery  on  the  battle-field,  but  for  his  good  moral 
character  ;  for  even  the  vicious  respect  the  virtues  which 
they  practically  contemn.  Being  neither  arbitrary  nor 
tyrannical,  he  was  cheerfully  obeyed ;  and  his  company 
never  appeared  better  than  when,  by  the  temporary 
absence  of  his  superior,  it  was  under  his  command. 

He  was,  however,  allowed  but  a  short  time  to  become 
acquainted  with  the  routine  of  the  new  duty  before  he 
was  summoned  to  participate  in  those  tremendous  events 
which  have  passed  into  history  as  at  once  the  most  bril- 
liant and  disastrous  operations  of  the  war ;  brilliant  in 
that  our  gallant  army  was  almost  invariably  victorious, 
disastrous  in  that  they  were  the  forerunners  of  the  ulti- 
mate failure    of  a  hopeful   campaign.      The  victory  at 


58  THE    YOUXG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

Fair  Oaks  had  raised  the  hopes  of  that  brave,  thinking 
army. 

The  picket-lines  were  within  a  few  miles  of  Richmond, 
and  the  soldiers  were  burning  with  enthusiasm  to  be  led 
against  the  enemy  in  front  of  them.  They  were  ready 
to  lay  dowTi  their  lives  on  the  altar  of  their  bleeding 
country,  if  the  survivors  could  grasp  the  boon  of  peace 
within  the  buttressed  walls  of  the  rebel  capital,  —  peace 
that  would  hurl  to  the  ground  the  defiant  traitors,  and 
insure  the  safety  and  perpetuity  of  free  institutions.  The 
notes  of  victory,  those  thinking  soldiers  believed,  would 
reverberate  through  the  coming  ages,  and  point  an  epoch 
from  which  America  would  date  her  grandest  and  most 
sublime  triumphs. 

But  not  then  was  the  great  Rebellion  to  be  overthro-wni : 
for  not  yet  had  the  leaven  of  Liberty  leavened  the  whole 
lump  ;  not  yet  had  the  purposes  of  a  mysterioys  Provi- 
dence been  accomplished  ;  and  the  brave  men  who  sighed 
for  victory  and  peace  in  the  swamps  of  the  Chickahom- 
iny  were  doomed  to  years  of  blood  and  toil,  of  victory 
and  defeat,  as  they  marched  on,  alike  through  both,  to 
the  consummation  of  a  nation's  glorious  triumph,  not 
over  paltry  armies  of  arrogant  traitors,  but  over  the 
incarnation  of  Evil,  over  Heaven-defying  institutions, 
whose  downfall  established  forever  principles  as  eternal 
as  God  himself. 

Lieutenant  Somers  was  filled  with   the  spirit  of  the 


THE  ADVEXTUBES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.  59 

army.  He  felt  that  the  salvation  of  his  country  de- 
pended upon  the  valor  of  that  army  ;  and,  impressed  with 
the  magnitude  of  the  interests  at  stake,  he  was  resolved 
to  do  his  whole  duty.  With  cheerful  alacrity  he  obeyed 
the  summons  which  brought  Grover's  brigade  into  line 
of  battle  on  the  morning  of  the  eventful  25th  of  XFune. 
What  was  to  be  accomplished  was  not  for  him  to  know ; 
but  forward  moved  the  line  through  the  swamp,  through 
the  woods,  through  the  pools  of  stagnant  waters  up  to 
the  hips  of  the  soldiers. 

Impres.s^d  by  the  responsibility  of  his  position,  Lieu- 
tenant Somers  encouraged  the  weak  as  they  struggled 
through  the  mire  on  their  trying  march,  and  with  fit 
words  stimulated  the  enthusiasm  of  all.  After  a  march 
of  about  a  mile,  a  heavy  skirmish-line  was  thrown  out, 
which  soon  confronted  that  of  the  rebels. 

"  Now,  Somers,  my  dear  fellow,  the  concert  is  about 
to  open,"  said  Captain  de  Banyan.  "  By  the  way,  my 
boy,  this  reminds  me  of  Magenta,  where  "  — 

"  Oh,  confound  Magenta  !  "  exclaimed  Somers. 

"  Why,  my  dear  fellow,  you  are  as  petulant  as  a  belle 
that  has  lost  her  beau." 

"  Yqu  don't  propose  to  tell  us  a  story  about  Magenta 
at  such  a  time  as  this,  do  you?" 

"  Well,  I  confess  I  have  a  weakness  in  that  direction. 
Magenta  was  a  great  battle.  But  I'm  afraid  you  are  a 
little  nervous,"  laughed  the  captain. 


60  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"Nervous?  Do  you  thiuk  I'm  a  coward?"  demanded 
Somers. 

"'  I  know  you  are  not ;  but  you  might  be  a  little  ner- 
vous for  all  that." 

At  that  instant,  the  sharp  crack  of  a  single  rifle  was 
heard,  and  Somers  Qbserved  a  slight  jerk  in  the  brim 
of  tlie  captain's  felt  hat. 

"  Bravo  !  "  exclaimed  Captain  de  Banyan  as  he  took 
off  his  hat,  and  pointed  to  a  hole  through  which  the  rifle- 
ball  had  sped  its  way.  '*  I'll  bet  a  month's  pay  that 
fellow  couldn't  do  that  again  without  making  a  hole 
through  my  head.  But  that's  a  singular  coincidence. 
That's  precisely  the  place  where  the  first  bullet  went 
through  my  hat  at  Solferiuo.  At  Magenta —  ah  !  I  see 
him,"  added  the  captain,  as  he  took  a  musket  from  the 
hands  of  one  of  his  men.  "  I'll  bet  another  month's  pay- 
that  reb  has  fired  his  last  shot." 

As  he.'jpoke,  he  raised  the  gun  to  his  shoulder,  and 
fired  up  into  one  of  the  trees.  A  crashing  of  boughs,  a 
rattling  of  leaves,  followed  ;  and  a  heavy  body  was  heard 
to  strike  the  ground. 

"  You  owe  me  a  month's  pay,  Somers,"  continued 
Captain  de  Banyan,  as  he  handed  the  musket  b^ick  to 
the  soldier. 

"  I  think  not,"  replied  the  lieutenant,  trying  to  be  as 
.cool  as  his  companion.     "  I  never  bet." 

"Just  so.  I  forgot  that  you  were  an  exceedingly, 
proper  young  man." 


YUE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN   ARMY   OFFICER.  61 

The  skirmish-line,  which  had  paused  a  moment  for  an 
observation  to  be  taken,  now  moved  forward  again.  The 
rebel  skirmishers  were  discovered,  and  the  order  was 
given  to  fire  at  will.  The  enemy's  sharpshooters  were 
posted  in  the  trees,  and  they  began  to  pour  in  a  galling 
fire  upon  a  portion  of  the  line.  , 

'*  Steady,  my  men  ! "  said  Somers,  when  the  firing  com- 
menced.    "  Gunpowder's  expensive  :  don't  waste  it." 

"  Not  a  single  grain  of  it,  Leftenant  Somers,"  added 
Sergeant  Hapgood. 

^' There,  uncle!  —  up  in  that  tree!"  said  Somers, 
pointing  to  a  grayback,  who  was  loading  his  rifle, 
about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground. 

"  I  see  him  !  "  replied  the  sergeant  as  he  levelled  his 
piece,  and  fired. 

The  rebel  was  wounded,  but  he  did  not  come  down  ; 
and  the  captain  of  the  company  ordered  his  men  to  move 
forward.  From  the  thunder  of  the  artillery  and  the  rattle 
of  musketry,  it  was  evident  that  heavy  Avork  was  in  prog- 
ress on  the  right  and  left. 

"  Forward,  men  ! "  said  Somers,  repeating  the  order 
of  Captain  Benson. 

The  men  were  scattered  along  an  irregular  line,  and 
firing  into  the  bushes,  which  partially  concealed  the  rebel 
skirmishers.  Somers's  platoon  advanced  a  little  more 
rapidly  than  the  rest  of  the  line,  being  favored  with  a 
few  rods  of  dry  ground.    He  had  urged  them  forward  for 


62  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

the  purpose  of  dislodging  three  sharpshooters  perched 
in  a  large  tree. 

-  "  Come  down,  rebs  !  "  shouted  Somers,  as  he  reached 
the  foot  of  the  tree,  and  told  half  a  dozen  of  his  men  to 
point  their  guns  toAvards  them. 

''  AVhat  d'yer  say,  iTank?"  demanded  one  of  them. 

"Will  you  come  down  head  first,  or  feet  first?     Take 
your  choice  quick  !  "  replied  the  lieutenant. 

"  As  you  seem  to  be  in  arnest,  we'll  come  down  the 
nateral  way." 

They  did  come  down  without  a  more  pressing  invita- 
tion, and  were  disarmed,  ready  to  be  sent  to  the  rear. 


# 

THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AllMY   OFFICE Ji.  63 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   REBEL   SHARPSHOOTERS. 

.lEUTENANT  SOMERS,  I  don't  tllink  I  can 
stand  it  much  longer,"  said  Phineas  Deane,  a 
private,  who   had  joined  the  regiment  a  few- 
days    before    the    battle,    as    he    saluted    his 
officer. 

"Can't  stand  what?" 

"The  fact  on't  is,  lieutenant,  I'm  sick.  I  haven't 
felt  well  for  two  or  three  days.  I  come  out  here  to  fight 
for  my  country,  and  I  want  to  do  some  good.  I  might 
help  take  them  prisoners  back,  if  you  say  so." 
"  Sick,  are  you?  What's  the  matter?" 
"  I've  got  a  bad  pain  in  the  bowels,"  replied  Phineas, 
as  he  placed  himself  on  the  right  side  of  a  tree,  and 
glanced  uneasily  in  the  direction  of  the  rebel  skirmish 
line.  "Pm  subject  to  sich  turns,  but  alius  git  over  'em 
if  I  have  a  chance  to  lay  down  for  a  few  hours." 

"Oh,  well,  you  can  lie  down  here !"  added  Somers, 
who  understood  the  case  pretty  well. 

"What!   down  here  in  the  mud  and  water?    Wal, 


% 

64  THE    TOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

that  would  be  rather  steep  for  a  sick  man,"  said  Phineas, 
with  a  ghastly  smile,  as  he  glanced  again  towards  the 
enemy. 

*'  I  will  get  some  medicine  for  you.  —  Here,  uncle,  let 
me  have  one  of  your  powders,"  continued  the  lieutenant, 
addressing  old  Hapgood. 

"  Sartin :  they've  done  me  heaps  of  good,  and  I'm 
sure  they're  just  the  thing  for  that  man." 

Somers  took  one  of  the  powders,  and  opened  the 
paper. 

"  Now,  my  man,  open  your  mouth,  and  let  me  give 
you  this  medicine,"  he  added. 

"What  kind  of  medicine  is  it?" 

"  It'll  make  you  kinder  sick  to  the  stomach  ;  but  it'll 
cure  you  in  less'n  half  an  hour." 

"  Well,  lieutenant,  I  don't  know  as  I  want  to  take  any 
medicine,"  answered  poor  Phineas,  who  was  not  prepared 
for  this  active  treatment ;  though  he  would  have  taken  it 
quick  enough  if  he  could  be  sent  to  the  rear.  I  guess  I 
don't  keer  about  takin'  on  it." 

"  You  needn't,  if  you  don't  want  to  get  well." 

"  I  only  want  to  go  back  to  camp,  and  lay  down  for  a 
spell." 

*'  We  can't  spare  you  just  yet,  Phineas ;  but,  if  you 
don't  stir  yourself,  you  will  lie  down  here  somewhere, 
and  never  get  up  again,"  added  Somers,  as  a  shower 
of  bullets  passed  over  their  heads.    "Forward,  boys  1" 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  G5 

The  captain  detailed  a  couple  of  men  to  conduct  the 
prisoners  to  the  rear,  and  the  company  pressed  forward. 
The  rebel  sharpshooters  were  dislodged  from  the  trees  ;  a 
few  prisoners  were  captured  :  but  the  heavy  fighting  and 
the  heavy  losses  fell  upon  other  portions  of  the  line. 
The  rebels  had  been  forced  back,  and  the  movement 
seemed  to  be  a  success.  Half  the  regiment  moved  out 
of  the  woods,  while  the  rest  remained  under  the  trees ; 
when  a  halt  was  ordered.  Somers  found  himself  near  an 
old  house,  behind  which  a  number  of  rebel  sharpshooters 
had  concealed  themselves  for  the  purpose  of  picking  off 
the  Union  soldiers. 

The  firing  in  the  immediate  vicinity  had  diminished, 
though  the  din  of  battle  resounded  on  both  sides.  The 
boys  were  rather  nervous,  as  men  are  when  standing  idle 
under  fire ;  but  it  was  the  nervousness  of  restrained 
enthusiasm,  not  of  fear,  unless  it  was  in  the  case  of  in- 
valid Phineas,  and  a  very  few  others  whose  physical 
health  had  not  been  completely  established. 

"Well,  Somers,  my  dear  boy,  how  do  you  get  on?" 
asked  Captain  de  Banyan,  as  he  sauntered  leisurely  up  to 
the  lieutenant,  whose  command  stood  next  to  his  own. 

"  First-rate  ;  only  I  should  like  to  have  something  a 
little  more  active  than  standing  here." 

"It  takes  considerable  experience  to  enable  a  man  to 
stand  still  under  fire.  When  I  was  at  the  battle  of  Alma, 
I  learned  that  lesson  to  a  charm.   We  stood  up  for  forty- 


66  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

two  hours  under  a  fierce  fire  of  grape  and  canister,  to 
say  nothing  of  musketry." 

"  Forty-two  hours  !  "  excUiimed  Somers.  "  I  should 
think  you  would  all  have  been  killed  off  before  that 
time." 

"  In  our  regiment,  only  one  man  was  killed  ;  and  he 
got  asleep,  and  walked  in  his  dreams  over  towards  the 
enemy's  line." 

"  Captain,  you  can  tell  a  bigger  story  than  any  other 
man  in  the  army,"  said  Somers,  laughing. 

"  That's  because  I  have  seen  more  of  the  world. 
When  you  have  been  about  as  much  as  I  have,  you  will 
know  more  about  it." 

'^  No  doubt  of  it." 

''  I  should  be  very  liappy  to  be  more  actively  employed 
just  now ;  but  I  am  very  well  contented  where  I  am." 

The  position  they  occupied  enabled  the  two  officers  to 
see  some  sharp  fighting  along  the  line.  Through  an 
opening  at  the  right,  they  saw  a  rebel  regiment,  wearing 
white  jackets,  or  else  stripped  to  their  shirts,  march  at 
double-quick,  in  splendid  order,  with  arms  at  "  right 
shoulder  shift,"  to  the  scene  of  action.  It  was  probably 
some  volunteer  body  from  Richmond,  whom  the  ladies  of 
the  rebel  capital  had  just  dismissed,  with  sweet  benedic- 
tions, to  sweep  the  "  foul  Yankees  "  from  the  face  of  the 
earth.  They  were  certainly  a  splendid  body  of  men  ;  and 
the  ladies  might  well  be  proud  of  them.    They  went  into 


% 

THE   ADVEXTUUES    OF  .iN  ARMY   OFFICER.  67 

the  field  iu  good  style,  ^vith  the  blessings  of  the  fair  still 
lingering  fondly  in  their  ears.  But  one  volley  from  the 
veterans  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  was  enough  for 
them,  and  they  gave  way,  running  off  the  field  iu  wild 
disorder,  threading  their  way  in  terror  through  the  bushes, 
every  man  for  himself.  It  is  not  likely  that  they  were 
welcomed  back  from  the  gory  field  by  the  frothy  feminine 
rebels  of  Richmond. 

^'  That's  just  the  way  the  Russians  ran  at  Talestro  !  " 
exclaimed  Captain  de  Banyan,  as  he  watched  the  exciting 
scene. 

*'  The  Russians  at  Palestro  !  "  added  Somers.  "  I  think 
you  have  got  things  a  little  mixed,  captain." 

Before  this  ditficult  question  could  be  settled.  Captain 
de  Banyan  was  ordered  to  take  a  sufficient  force,  and 
drive  out  the  rebels  who  were  s-kulking  behind  the  old 
house. 

"  Somers,  you  shall  go  witli  me,"  said  he,  when  he 
had  received  his  orders  from  the  colonel.  "  We'll  do  a 
big  thing,  if  there  is  any  chance." 

''  I  am  ready  for  any  thing,  big  or  little,  captain,"  re- 
plied Somers  heartily.     "  A\'hat  shall  I  do  ?  " 

^'  March  your  men  over  by  that  little  knoll,  and  come 
round  on  the  other  side  of  the  house  ;  I  will  move  up  in 
another  direction,  and  we  will  bag  the  whole  squad. 
But  mind  you,  Somers,  the  enemy  are  round  that  way : 
don't  let  them  gobble  you  up  or  lay  you  out." 


68  THE    YOUXG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  I  will  do  the  best  I  can,  captain." 

''  Angels  could  no  more." 

The  lieutenant  advanced,  with  the  men  detailed  for 
the  purpose,  towards  the  hillock.  By  taking  a  circuitous 
route,  he  avoided  the  observation  of  the  rebels  behind 
the  house,  and  reached  the  other  side  of  the  knoll,  where, 
behind  the  friendly  shelter  of  a  clump  of  bushes,  he  was 
enabled  to  survey  the  ground.  Not  more  than  a  quarter 
of  a  mile  distant,  he  discovered  the  rebel  breastworks.  It 
was  about  the  same  distance  to  the  house. 

Between  the  knoll  and  the  house  there  was  a  small 
patch  of  wheat,  which,  by  some  chance,  had  escaped  the 
havoc  of  foraging  parties.  Though  the  grain  was  not 
full-grown,  it  would  afford  concealment  to  his  men.  In 
order  to  reach  it,  he  must  expose  his  men  to  a  volley 
from  the  rifle-pits,  or  from  any  body  of  rebels  which 
might  be  posted  in  the  vicinity.  He  could  not  afford  to 
lose  a  single  man,  and  he  was  preplexed  to  determine 
how  he  should  overcome  the  distance  between  the  wheat- 
field  and  the  knoll. 

It  seemed  to  him  very  singular  that  he  had  not  already 
been  fired  upon  ;  and  he  concluded  that  it  was  because  his 
party  had  been  mistaken  for  rebels,  or  because  some 
of  their  troops  were  between  him  and  the  Union  lines. 
Whether  the  enemy  had  been  deceived  or  not,  he  was 
fully  determined  to  afford  them  no  further  information  in 
regard  to  his  politics,  if  any  of  them  had  seen  him.     Ha 


I 

THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICEIl.  69 

thereibro  ordered  his  meu  to  take  oil'  their  coats,  Avhich 
some  of  them  had  done  belbre  they  started  oa  the  expe- 
dition. The  bhie  trousers  could  uot  be  so  easily  disposed 
of;  but  as  some  of  the  boys  had  straw  hats,  some  felt, 
and  some  caps,  it  would  have  been  liard  to  determine 
what  they  were  at  the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile, 
especially  as  some  of  the  Confederates  wore  the  plun- 
dered clothing  of  the  Union  army 

After  instructing  his  force  in  regard  to  their  future 
conduct,  he  marched  them  boldly  into  the  open  space. 
To  assist  the  deception,  he  directed  one  of  his  men  to 
halt  occasionally,  and  point  his  musket  in  the  direction 
of  the  Union  pickets.  Not  a  shot  was  fired  at  them  ;  and, 
when  the  young  lieutenant  reached  the  Avheat-field,  he' 
foncied  that  he  was  clever  enough  for  any  brigadier  in 

the  rebel  army. 

It  was  desirable  that  the  rebel  sharpshooters  at  the 
house  should  not  be  alarmed  ;  and,  when  his  men  reached 
the  grain,  Somers  ordered  them  to  get  down  upon  their 
hand^s  and  knees,  and  creep  cautiously  towards  the  point 
to  be  assailed.  The  lieutenant,  like  a  good  officer,  led 
the  way  himself,  and  had  advanced  about  half  the  dis- 
tance to  be  accomplished,  when  he  heard  a  rustling  noise 
in  the  grain  before  him.  It  was  an  ominous  sound,  and 
he  paused  to  take  an  observation.  He  could  not  see  any 
thing  without  standing  up  ;  and,  as  he  was  within  twenty 
rods"  of  the  house,  it  was  necessary  to  avoid  exposing 
himself. 


I 

70  THE    YOUXa    LIEUTEXAXT;    OR, 

From  whatever  source  tlie  sounds  j)rocecMlcd,  it  was 
just  as  safe  to  advance  as  it  was  to  retreat ;  and  lie 
decided  to  go  forward.  AVitli  the  utmost  caution,  he  con- 
tinued to  creep  along  througli  the  wheat ;  but  he  was 
careful  to  assure  himself  that  his  men's  muskets  and  his 
own  revolver  were  in  condition  for  instant  use.  After  he 
had  gone  a  few  rods  farther,  the  sounds  were  more 
apparent ;  and,  with  no  little  consternation,  he  heard 
voices,  rich  Avith  an  unmistakable  Southern  accent. 

"  I  tell  you,  more  of  our  fellers  is  coming  through  the 
grain.  You  mought  hear  'em,  cf  you  weren't  deafcr'n 
a  dead  nigger." 

"I  heerd  'em.  You  kin  bet  yer  life  they're  some  of  our 
pickets.     Howsomever,  I'm  gwine  to  see." 

"  Hush,  my  men  !  don't  speak  a  word  I  "  whispered  the 
young  lieutenant.     "  Lie  flat  on  the  ground." 

The  rebels  were  nearer  than  he  had  supposed  ;  for,  as 
he  turned  from  his  men,  he  discovered  a  wiry  grayback, 
with  the  che\Ton  of  a  sergeant  on  his  arms,  trying  to 
stare  him  out  of  countenance.  T!ie  fellow  did  not  look 
Avholesome  ;  and  Somers  was  in  doubt  Avhether  to  blow  his 
brains  out,  or  let  things  take  their  natural  course. 

"  ^Yho  mought  you  be?"  demanded  the  grayback,  ex- 
hibiting more  of  curiosity  than  of  fear  in  his  dirty  face. 

"  One  of  the  people,"  replied  Somers,  disposed  to 
avoid  a  direct  issue.     "Who  are  you?" 

"  I'm  one  of  the  people  too,"  grinned  the  rebel. « 


THE  ADVEXTUnEf^   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  71 

'^1  see  you  arc  ;  Jiud  1  suppose  you  belong  to  tl:e  army, 
don't  you?" 

"  Bet  yer  life  I  do." 

"  Of  course  you  won't  object  to  telling  me  which  army 
you  belong  to,  as  there  may  be  some  difference  of  opinion 
between  us." 

''  'Taint  no  use  to  ask  a  officer  dressed  in  blue,  and 
lookin'  as  spruce  as  you  be,  whar  he  kim  from.  I  say, 
Yank,  what  are  your  uns  doin'  in  hyar  ?  " 

"  Only  taking  a  look." 

"  You're  as  civil  as  a  Mobile  dancin'-master ;  and  I 
axes  yer,  very  perlite,  to  surrender." 

"  How  many  men  have  you  got,  reb?"  demanded  the 
lieutenant,  as  he  put  his  hand  on  his  revolver. 

"  See  hyar,  Yank  :  play  fair.  Your  uns  allers  cheat 
playiu'  poker.  Don't  tech  yer  shooter  yet,"  replied  the 
grayback  coolly,  as  he  thrust  the  muzzle  of  his  gun  in 
the  lieutenant's  face.  "  Two  kin  play  at  that  game,  and 
your  wife  or  mine  will  be  a  lone  widder  quicker'u  a 
coon  kin  wink  at  the  moon.  I've  got  seven  men,"  he 
added. 

"  I  have  twenty-three,"  said  Somers. 

"  Then  yer  kin  whip  us  if  yer  be  Yanks  ;  for  three  of 
your  uns  can  jest  lick  one  of  our  uns." 

"That's  good  logic.  Will  you  surrender,  or  fight?" 
demanded  Somers. 

"  Let  me  count  yer  men.     I  surrender,"  he  continued, 


72  THE    YOUXG    LIEUTEXAXT ;    OB, 

after  he  had  stood  up,  and  coiuitcd  the  Uuiou  soldiers. 
"  Here's  my  shooter :  fair  play,  even  with  Yanks." 

Leaving  a  guard  of  eight  men  with  liis  prisoners  when 
they  were  disarmed,  Somers  hastened  forward  to  com- 
plete his  mission. 


THE   ADVKNTUliES    OF  AN  ARMY   OF  11  (Eli. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


AN    EXPEDITION    IN    FRONT. 


C 


'HE  affair  in  the  wheat-field  had  been  conducted 
very  quietly,  and  apparently  had  not  attracted 
the  attention  of  any  of  the  rebels  in  the  vicinity. 
During  the  brief  parley,  the  thunder  of  the  battle 
had  sounded  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  parties.  The 
enemy  were  in  force  in  their  works,  and  it  was  believed 
that  there  were  squads  of  pickets  in  every  place  of  con- 
cealment which  the  ground  afforded. 

Somers  was  very  much  surprised  to  find  that  he  was 
not  molested,  and  made  all  possible  haste  to  carry  out 
the  programme  with  which  he  had  been  intrusted  by 
Captain  de  Banyan.  Followed  by  the  balance  of  his 
men,  he  crept  carefully  towards  the  house  till  he  had 
reached  the  end  of  the  grain-field.  He  could  see  about  a 
dozen  rebels  skulking  behind  the  building,  all  of  them  so 
intent  upon  getting  a  shot  at  the  Union  soldiers,  that 
they  paid  no  attention  to  the  events  transpiring  in  the 
rear  of  them ;  probably  deeming  it  impossible  for  an 
enemy  to  approach  in  that  direction. 


74  THE    YOUXn    LIEUTEXJNT ;    OB, 

The  lieiitenaut  Iwul  but  fifteen  men  left  to  execute  liis 
part  of  tlie  sclicme,  and  there  seemed  to  be  double  tliat 
uumber  of  graybacks  lurking  iu  and  about  the  house. 
Every  thing  depended  upon  his  effecting  the  requisite 
junction  with  the  force  of  the  captain.  As  his  superior 
had  but  a  short  distance  to  march,  it  was  probable  that 
he  was  already  in  position  to  support  him  ;  and  he  decided 
to  make  the  attack  without  permitting  any  delay  to  rob 
him  of  the  cliances  of  success. 

"  Now,  double-quick,  forward !  "  shouted  Somers,  as 
he  rose  from  the  ground,  and  led  the  way  to  a  position 
where  he  could  intercept  the  retreat  of  the  rebels. 

Agreeably  to  the  instructions  previously  given,  his 
men  stretched  out  inro  an  extended  line,  and  commenced 
firing  at  will  upon  the  luckless  graybacks  who  were  in 
sight.  It  did  not  take  them  long  to  find  out  that  they 
were  assailed  by  a  fire  in  the  rear. 

"  Surrender  !  "  shouted  Captain  de  Banyan,  who  at  this 
moment  appeared  a.t  the  head  of  his  men. 

The  rebels  were  not  disposed  to  accept  this  polite  invi- 
tation, but  began  to  fall  back  from  the  house  in  good 
order.  They  discharged  their  pieces  at  the  force  in  front, 
and  then  started  at  a  run  to  effect  their  escape  in  the 
opposite  direction.  They  forgot  for  the  moment  that  they 
had  been  fired  upon  from  the  rear,  or  else  thought  that 
the  fire  had  been  directed  by  some  of  their  own  people  at 
the  Yankees  who  had  so  suddenly  attacked  in  front. 


Tiin 


ADVEXTVUES    OF   AX  ARMY    OFFICER.  75 


*'  Surrender !  "  shouted  Lieutenant  Somers,  as  the  re- 
treating rebels  approached  his  line. 

They  hahed  at  this  unexpected  summons.  The  officer 
in  command  oi"  them  took  a  hasty  survey  of  the  situation, 
and  then  ordered  his  troops  to  cut  their  way  through  the 
thin  line  between  them  and  the  rebel  field-works.  The 
commander  of  the  rebel  pickets  was  a  gallant  fellow  ;  and, 
drawing  his  sword,  he  rushed  towards  the  spot  where  the 
lieutenant  was  stationed.  Discharging  his  pistol  with 
the  left  hand  at  Somers,  he  dashed  forward  like  d  restive 

horse. 

Both  parties  had  discharged  their  guns,  and  there  was 
no  time  to  reload  them.  Some  of  the  rebels  had  bayonets, 
and  some  had  not ;  and,  with  the  fury  of  their  brave 
leader,  they  attempted  to  break  their  way  through  the  line. 
A  sharp  but  very  irregular  conflict  ensued,  the  rebels  club- 
bing their  muskets  or  grappling  with  the  Union  soldiers, 
each  according  to  his  individual  taste.  As  they  were  two 
to.one  of  the  Federals,  they  would  certainly  have  won  the 
field  if  Captain  de  Banyan  had  not  promptly  come  to  the 

rescue. 

The  excited  rebel  officer  manifested  a  most  persistent 
desire  to  revenge  his  misfortunes  upon  Lieutenant  Somers. 
After  he  had  fired  his  pistol  twice,  and  one  of  the  balls 
had  passed  through  his  opponent's  cap,  the  latter,  by  a 
sudden  dash,  knocked  the  weapon  from  his  hand  with  his 
sword.    He  then  attempted  to  use  his  own  sword,  and,  if 


76  THE    YOUXn   LIEUTENAXT;    OR, 

Soracrs  had  not  been  a  "master  of  I'cucc,"  Voiild  prob- 
ably have  run  him  through  the  body.  Some  liai-d  blows 
were  struck  with  these  weapons,  and  the  age  of  chivalry, 
Avhen  men  fought  hand  to  hand  Avith  trusty  blades, 
seemed  to  be  revived.  But  the  sword  of  the  rebel  officer 
was  not  so  trusty  as  it  ought  to  have  been.  It  was  not  a 
regulation  sword  ;  and,  while  its  o\\Tier  was  flourishing  it 
most  valiantly,  the  blade  flew  away  from  the  handle. 

"  Now  surrender  !  "  said  Somers,  out  of  breath  with 
the  violence  of  his  exertions,  as  he  drew  from  his  belt 
the  pistol  which,  being  so  hard  pressed,  he  had  not  been 
able  to  use  before. 

"  Never,  sir !  I  don't  surrender  !  I  was  sent  here  to 
fight,  and  not  to  surrender,"  replied  the  officer,  as  proudly 
as  though  he  had  been  in  command  of  a  beleaguered  for- 
tress, instead  of  a  squad  of  two  or  three  dozen  men. 

Somers  had  him  at  his  mercy,  and  it  seemed  but  little 
better  than  murder  to  shoot  him  in  his  defenceless 
state. 

That  was  a  bad  mistake  on  his  part ;  for  the  rebel 
officer  at  once  proceeded  to  prove  that  he  was  no  effemi- 
nate character,  who  depended  upon  a  sword,  pistol,  or 
other  w^eapon,  to  fight  his  battles  with,  but  could,  if 
occasion  required,  defend  himself  with  his  naked  arm. 
He  sprang  upon  Somers  with  the  ferocity  of  a  tiger.  The 
latter  fired  ;  but  the  sudden  movement  of  the  former  im- 
paired his  aim,  and  the  ball  whistled  harmlessly  over  the 


THE   AnVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.  77 

licad  of  the  rebel.  Tlie  desperate  officer  attempted  to 
gain  possession  of  the  pistol ;  but  Somers,  now  thoroughly- 
aroused  to  a  sense  of  his  own  danger,  sprang  at  the 
throat  of  his  antagonist,  and,  by  the  fierceness  of  the  dash, 
bore  him  to  the  earth.  His  victim  struggled  to  escape  ; 
and,  being  a  stronger  man  than  the  other,  would  certainly 
have  succeeded,  if  Somers  had  not  picked  up  his  pistol, 
which  lay  on  the  spot  where  they  fell,  and  struck  a  blow 
with  the  but  of  it  on  the  temple  of  the  rebel.  This 
effectually  quieted  him ;  but  the  lieutenant's  little  force 
were  falling  back  before  the  furious  assaults  of  the  gray- 
backs. 

lie  had  only  time  to  get  up  before  the  rebels  were  upon 
him.  At  this  interesting  and  critical  moment.  Captain 
de  Banyan  came  up  with  his  large  force  ;  and  the  enemy, 
finding  themselves  pressed  in  front  and  rear,  gave  up  in 
despair.  They  were  disarmed  ;  and,  those  from  the  wheat- 
field  being  brought  forward,  the  whole  squad  were 
marched  in  the  direction  of  the  Union  line. 

About  one-half  of  Somers's  men  were  wounded,  though 
some  but  slightly.  These  were  sent  back.  The  rebel 
officer  lay  insensible  upon  the  ground  ;  but  Somers,  sati:^- 
fied  that  he  was  only  stunned,  desired  to  carry  him  off, 
not  only  as  a  trophy  of  his  prowess,  but  because  such  a 
desperate  fellow  would  be  less  dangerous  in  a  prison- 
camp  than  in  the  lines  of  the  rebels.  He  directed  two 
of  his  men  to  bear  the  insensible  form  to    tlie    house. 


78  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

Avliitlicr  they  were  followed  by  the  remainder  of  the 
force. 

"  Somers,  my  dear  fellow,  give  me  your  hand,"  said 
Captain  de  Banyan,  as  soon  as  tlie  pressing  business  of 
tlie  moment  had  been  disposed  of.  "  You  have  covered 
yourself  with  glory." 

"  Pooh  !  "  replied  Somers,  trying  to  look  indifferent. 
"  I  have  only  done  my  duty,  and  obeyed  my  orders." 

"  That's  very  true  ;  but,  if  you  had  been  weak  in  tlie 
knees,  you  couldn't  very  well  have  obeyed  orders. 
Somers,  you  have  done  a  big  thing ;  and,  in  my  judg- 
ment, you  ought  to  be  promoted." 

''  Promoted  for  that  ?  " 

"  In  the  battle  of  Magenta"  — 

"  Oh,  confound  the  battle  of  Magenta ! "  exclaimed 
Somers,  interrupting  him  :  "  I  will  give  you  a  handsome 
present  if  you  will  never  say  Magenta  to  me  again." 

"  Don't  be  petulant,  my  dear  boy  !  You  have  got  a 
sweet  temper  naturally,  and  I  hope  you  won't  spoil  it." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  will  spoil  it  for  me." 

"  I  was  only  saying  pleasant  things  to  you,  and  you  fly 
off  and  roll  yourself  up  in  your  dignity  like  a  little  hedge- 
hog. By  the  way,  Somers,  don't  you  suppose  that  Sena- 
tor Guilford  Avill  hear  of  this  aflTair?" 

"  I  hope  not." 

'•  Xor  that  little  lady  we  left  all  used  up  with  a  broken 


THE  ADVEXTURES   OF  AX  AliMV   OFFICE li.  79 

'^  I  don't  care  whether  she  does  or  not." 

"  Or  that  other  little  ladv  who  knits  socks  for  soldiers 
that  don't  rim  away  in  battle?" 

Somers  blushed  like  a  maiden,  and  his  experienced 
companion  saw  that  he  had  touched  the  tender  spot  in 
his  heart.  Very  likely  the  captain  would  have  said  some- 
thing more  on  this  interesting  subject,  if  the  conversation 
had  not  been  interrupted  by  their  arrival  at  the  old 
house.  Here  tliey  were  met  by  a  messenger  from  the 
colonel,  ordering  the  detachment  to  hasten  back ;  for 
orders  had  come  for  the  brigade  to  retire  to  their  old 
position. 

The  wounded  and  the  prisoners  were  conducted  safely 
back  to  tlie  line  in  the  woods,  where  our  party  were 
warmly  congratulated  upon  their  decided  success.  The 
Ijrigade  fell  back,  but  were  immediately  ordered  forward 
agaiu,  and  held  the  advance  position  which  had  been  so 
gallantly  won.  It  was  not  a  very  comfortable  place  ;  for 
the  soldiers  stood  over  shoes  in  the  water.  Late  in  the 
evening,  our  regiment  was  relieved  by  another,  and 
ordered  back  to  the  breastworks  in  the  rear.  It  had 
lost  but  few  men,  though  torrents  of  loyal  blood  had 
flowed  on  that  eventful  day. 

The  action  of  that  day  was  the  initial  conflict  of  the 
Seven-days'  Battles.  General  McClellan  actually  com- 
menced his  long-deferred  operations  against  the  city  of 
liichmond.     But  the  favorable  moment  had  passed  by, 


80  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    Oli, 

and  even  then  tlie  battalions  of  the  rebels  were  gathering 
in  readiness  to  be  hurled  upon  our  devoted  army.  While 
the  regiment,  whose  fortunes  have  been  more  intimately 
connected  with  our  story,  was  retiring  from  the  pestiferous 
swamp,  the  commanding  general  received  information 
of  the  approach  of  Stonewall  Jackson.  These  proved  to 
be  sad  tidings  ;  for  the  anticipated  triymphal  march  into 
the  rebel  capital  was  changed  into  a  bloody  but  glorious 
retreat.  The  battles  wdiich  were  to  be  fought  for  a  victo- 
rious advance  were  made  to  cover  a  disastrous  defeat,  — 
disastrous  to  the  campaign,  though  not  to  the  arm}'. 

Fatigued,  hungry,  and  chilled  by  the  night  damps  of 
the  swamp,  the  regiment  threaded  its  way  through  the 
intricacies  of  the  woods  towards  the  breastworks  in  the 
rear.  It  was  a  dark  and  gloomy  hour,  though  the  pres- 
tige of  victory  dwelt  in  the  souls  of  the  gallant  soldiers. 
The  officers  were  not  familiar  with  the  ground  ;  and  with 
difficulty  they  found  their  w^ay  back  to  the  old  line. 

"  Well,  Somers,  how  do  you  feel?"  asked  Captain  de 
Banyan  W'hen  the  regiment  was  dismissed. 

"  I'm  all  worn  out.  I  haven't  got  toughened  to  this 
kind  of  work  yet,"  replied  Somers. 

"  Don't  give  it  up  yet,  my  boy.  We  shall  be  in  Rich- 
mond in  less  than  a  week,  and  then  we  wuU  take  rooms 
at  the  Spottswood  House,  and  have  a  good  time." 

"  Do  you  believe  we  shall  ever  get  into  Richmond, 
captain  ?  " 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.  81 

*'  Certainly  1  do.  Every  tliiug  is  working  to  my  entire 
satisfaction.  You  feel  a  little  blue,  my  boy  ;  but  it  is  only 
because  you  are  tired.  You  will  feel  better  in  the  morning." 

''  I  am  tired,  but  I  am  not  blue.  I  am  ready  to  do  my 
duty,  in  victory  or  defeat.  There  has  been  an  awful  roar 
of  guns  all  day,  and  no  one  can  tell  what  the  result  of  a 
battle  will  be." 

' ' '  An  awful  roar  of  guns ' !  Ton  my  word,  I  like  that," 
laughed  the  captain.    "  Why,  at  Magenta  "  — 

'*  Magenta  again  !  "  sneered  Somers,  w^ho  was  heartily 
sick  of  that  Avord. 

''  Yes,  at  Magenta  !  If  you  could  only  have  heard  the 
guns  there  !  Why,  there  were  seven  thousand  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-six  pieces  rattling  away  like  mad  on  our 
side  alone  ;  *  and  I  believe  the  Russians  "  — 

"  Russians  at  Magenta  again !  I  don't  believe  you 
were  at  the  battle  of  Magenta  any  more  than  I  was ! " 
exclaimed  Somers  desperately. 

''  Do  you  mean  to  tell  me  that  I  lie?  "asked  the  cap- 
tain gravely. 

"  Go  on  with  your  story,"  said  the  lieutenant,  fearing 
that  he  had  said  too  much. 

"  Answer  my  question,  if  you  please.  You  gave  me 
the  lie;  did  you  not?" 

'•  No  :  I  didn't  use  that  word." 

"  You  said  you  didn't  believe  I  was  at  the  battle  of 

Magenta." 
c 


82  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  To  be  perfectly  candid  with  you,  I  don't  believe  it ; 
but  I  am  tired,  and  waut  my  supper,"  answered  Somers, 
wishing  to  escape  the  issue  which  he  had  provoked. 

"  Fair  play,  my  boy.  You  charged  me  with  lying,  — 
indirectly,  —  but  not  the  less  offensively  on  that  account. 
Don't  dodge  the  question." 

"  I  haven't  dodged  it.  I  gave  you  my  candid  opinion 
that  you  were  not  present  at  Magenta  ;  and  I  don't  think 
there  is  an  oliicer  in  the  regiment  Avho  believes  you  were 
there." 

"Isn't  the  word  of  an  officer  and  a  gentleman  to  be 
accepted  ?  " 

"  Certainly,  if  he  keep  within  the  bounds  of  reason ; 
but  when  you  talk  about  the  Russians  at  Magenta,  and 
over  seven  thousand  cannons  in  a  single  ai-my,  we  know 
that  you  are  either  '  drawing  the  long-bow,'  or  laboring 
under  some  strange  delusion.     Supper  is  ready." 

"  We  can  eat  and  talk  too."  And  they  did.  ''  May  I 
be  allowed  to  ask.  Lieutenant  Somers,  if  you  deem  my 
statement  inconsistent  with  reason?" 

"To  be  sure  I  do.  We  have  six  guns  to  a  battery : 
seventy-two  hundred  guns  would  make  twelve  hundred 
batteries.  We  have  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  men  to 
a  battery,  which  would  make  one  hundred  and  eighty 
thousand  men  in  the  artillery  arm  alone  ;  which  is  posi- 
tively ridiculous.    You  said  Russians  "  — 

"  Of  course,  that  was  a  slip  of  the  tongue,     I  meant 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.  83 

l*riissiaQS,"  added  the  captain,  entirely  overwhelmed  by 
the  lieutenant's  arithmetic,  as  well  as  by  the  laughter  of 
Captain  Benson  and  Lieutenant  Muuroe,  who  belonged 
to  the  mess. 

'"Worse  yet,"  said  Somers.  "They  were  Austrians. 
Now,  captain,  you  are  a  brave  man,  and  a  splendid  fel- 
low ;  but  I  think  it  is  a  great  pity  you  should  tell  such 
abominably  great  stories." 

"  I  accept  the  apology,"  laughed  Captain  de  Banyan. 
"  We  will  call  it  square,  and  turn  in  ;  for  I  think  that 
we  shall  have  hot  work  to-morrow." 


84  THE    YOUyG  LIEUTENANTi    OR, 


CHAPTER  vm. 

AN    ORDER   FROM    HEADQUARTERS. 

(^X^|(^V^  A .  IIILE  Captain  de  Banyan  and  Lieutenant 
Somers  were  asleep,  the  commanding  gen- 
eral received  intelligence  of  a  movement  on 
our  right  by  the  famous  Stonewall  Jackson. 
The  position  -which  had  been  gained  by  the  advance  at 
Oak  Grove  was  abandoned,  and  the  troops  returned  to 
their  old  line.  The  next  day  was  heard  the  roar  of  the 
guns  at  Mechanicsville ;  and  on  that  succeeding  Avas 
fought  the  battle  of  Gaines's  Mills,  —  the  only  defeat  in 
the  field  sustained  by  the  Union  army  during  that  bat- 
tle-week. 

General  McClellan  then  decided  to  change  his  base 
of  operations  ;  which,  rendered  into  plain  English,  meant 
that  he  had  been  flanked,  and  was  obliged  to  make  the 
best  move  be  could  to  save  his  army  and  material.  The 
troops  fought  all  day,  and  ran  all  night,  till  they 
reached  the  James  River,  where  they  were  protected  by 
the  all-powerful  gunboats.  In  the  battles  of  Savage's 
Station,  Glendale,  and   Malvern  Hills,  they  were  victo- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  85 

rioiis,  auJ  fought  as  no  troops  had  ever  fouirht  before. 
As  a  retreat,  it  was  successful  ;  but  it  was  the  sad  and 
inglorious  end  of  the  Peninsular  campaign. 

The  whole  brigade  to  which  Lieutenant  Somers  be- 
longed went  on  picket  every  third  day.  While  the  tre- 
mendous operations  to  w^hich  we  have  briefly  alluded 
were  taking  place  on  the  right,  the  soldiers  on  the  left 
v/ere  leading  their  ordinary  military  life.  But  they  were 
thinking  men  ;  and,  while  they  were  firm  in  their  devotion 
to  the  good  cause,  they  were  disturbed  by  doubts  and 
fears.  They  knew  not,  as  they  listened  to  the  booming 
guns,  whether  they  were  in  the  midst  of  victory  or  defeat. 
Occasionally,  they  were  shelled  behind  their  breast- 
works ;  apparently  for  the  purpose,  on  the  part  of  the 
rebels,  of  keeping  our  forces  from  interfering  with  the 
work  on  the  right. 

The  brigade  went  on  picket,  and  here  the  troops  were 
face  to  face  with  the  enemy.  Lieutenant  Somers,  by  th.e 
illness  of  the  captain  and  the  absence  of  the  first  lieu- 
tenant, was  in  command  of  his  company.  But  there  was 
no  chance  to  do  any  thing  to  distinguish  himself,  except 
that  steady  and  patient  attention  to  duty  which  is  the 
constant  opportunity  of  every  good  officer. 

"  AYell,  captain,  w^as  there  any  thing  like  this  at  Ma- 
genta?" asked  Somers,  as  he  met  de  Banyan. 

"  This  is  tame,  Somers.  Magenta  was  a  lively 
scene." 


86  TIIE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  I  fimcj  it  will  not  remain  tame  much  longer.  We 
shall  either  be  in  Richmond  as  victors  or  prl.  oners 
-within  a  few  days." 

"Don't  croak,  Somers.  Jt  will  all  come  out  right  in 
the  end." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  of  that ;  but  I  feel  just  as  though 
some  big  thing  was  going  to  happen." 

"  So  do  I ;  and  I  felt  so  just  before  the  battle  of  Sol- 
ferino.  By  the  way,  on  the  night  before  that  battle,  I 
captured  a  whole  brigade  with  my  single  company,  while 
I  was  out  on  picket-duty." 

"  Indeed  !  "  laughed  Somers. 

"  I'll  tell  you  how  it  was." 

"  Don't  take  that  trouble,  captain  ;  for  I  shall  not 
believe  you  if  you  do." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  doubt  my  word,  even  before  I  utter 
it?"  demanded  the  captain,  apparently  much  hurt  by  the 
insinuation. 

"  Captain  de  Banyan,  I  wish  I  could  persuade  you  to 
speak  the  truth  at  all  times." 

"  Come,  Somers,  that's  rather  a  grave  charge  ;  and,  if 
it  came  from  any  other  man  than  yourself,  I  should  chal- 
lenge him  on  the  spot,"  added  the  captain,  throwing  back 
his  head,  and  looking  dignified  enough  to  be  the  com- 
mander-in-chief. 

"  You  may  challenge  me  if  you  please  ;  but  let  us  be 
serious  for  a  moment." 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  87 

''  I  am  serious,  and  have  ])ecn  all  the  time." 

"'  You  are  a  first-rate  fellow,  captain :  I  like  you 
almost  as  well  as  I  do  my  own  brother." 

''  You  are  a  sensible  young  man,  Somers,"  replied  De 
Banyan,  slightly  relaxing  the  rigid  muscles  of  his  face. 

"  You  are  a  brave  man,  and  as  brilliant  as  you  are 
brave.     I  have  only  one  fault  to  find  with  you." 

''What's  that?" 

"  You  will  draw  the  long-bow." 

"  la  other  words,  I  will  lie.  Somers,  you  hurt  my 
feelings.  I  took  a  fancy  to  you  the  first  time  I  ever  saw 
you,  and  it  pains  me  to  hear  you  talk  in  that  manner. 
Do  you  think  that  I,  an  officer  and  a  gentleman,  would 
stoop  to  the  vice  of  lying?" 

"•  You  certainly  do  not  expect  any  one  to  believe  those 
Avretched  big  stories  you  tell  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do,"  replied  the  captain  with  dignity. 

"  But  they  contradict  themselves." 

"  Perhaps  you  don't  believe  there  ever  was  such  an 
event  as  the  battle  of  Magenta." 

"  Come,  come,  my  friend :  just  slide  off  that  high 
horse." 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,  my  word  has  been  doubted  ;  my 
good  faith  maligned  ;  my  character  for  truth  and  veracity 
questioned." 

"  Yes,  I  know  all  that  very  well ;  but  answer  me  one 
question,  captain.  Seriously  and  solemnly,  were  you  at 
the  battle  of  Magenta?" 


88  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

"I  decline  to  answer  one  Avho  doubts  my  veracity. 
If  I  answered  you  in  the  afTirmutivc,  you  would  nc)t 
believe  me." 

"  I  don't  think  I  should  ;  but,  if  you  should  answer  me 
in  the  negative,  I  should  have  full  faith  in  your  reply." 

"  I  cannot  answer  on  those  terms.  Somers,  I  am 
offended.  I  don't  know  but  that  I  am  in  duty  bound  to 
challenge  you.  Just  after  the  battle  of  Magenta,  I  felt 
compelled  to  challenge  a  young  olficer  who  cast  an  im- 
putation upon  my  Avord.  'SYe  fought,  and  he  fell.  His 
brother  challenged  mc  then,  and  I  had  to  put  a  bullet 
through  his  head.  The  family  were  Corsicans,  I  believe  ; 
and  one  after  another  challenged  me,  till  they  got  down  to 
fifth  cousins  ;  and  I  laid  out  fifteen  of  them,  —  I  tliink  it 
was  fifteen  :  I  don't  remember  the  exact  numbei*,  but  I 
could  tell  by  referring  to  my  diary.  You  are  so  precise 
and  particular,  tliat  I  want  to  give  you  the  facts  just 
as  they  are." 

"  Y"ou  haven't  the  diary  with  you,  I  suppose?" 

"  Of  course  not :  I  couldn't  carry  a  volume  like  that 
around  with  me.  I  only  mention  this  circumstance  to 
show  you  the  sad  results  which  sometimes  follow  in  the 
wake  of  a  duel." 

"But  I'm  not  a  Corsican  ;  and  I  don't  think  you  need 
fear  any  such  results  in  my  case,  if  you  should  conclude 
to  challenge  me,"  answered  Somers  with  abundant  good 
nature. 


THE   ADVEXTVUES    OF   AX   AUMY   OFFICER.         -89 

"  Now,  seriously  and  solemnly,  Somers,  this  doubtin;]^ 
a  comrade's  word  is  a  vicious  habit.  It  shows  that  you 
have  no  confidence  in  what  I  say." 

"  That  is  precisely  the  truth  ;  but  I  think  you  arc  re- 
sponsible for  the  fact,  not  I.  If  you  would  only  tell  the 
truth"  — 

''  Tell  the  truth  !  My  dear  felloAv,  you  keep  makin^^ 
the  matter  worse,  instead  of  better." 

''  So  do  you  ;  for,  instead  of  abandoning  your  bad  liabit, 
you  tell  me  an  absurd  story  about  killing  fifteen  men  i:i 
a  series  of  duels  !  " 

"I  told  you  I  couldn't  fix  the  exact  number.  You  are 
too  critical  by  half." 

"  I  am  not  particular  about  the  number  ;  for  I  don't  be- 
lieve you  killed  even  a  single  person  in  a  duel.  You  are 
too  good  a  fellow  to  do  any 'thing  of  the  sort." 

''  Somers,  I  have  been  laboring  to  keep  my  temper  ; 
but  I  am  afraid  you  will  make  me  mad,  if  you  keep  ou. 
I  think  we  had  better  suspend  this  conversation  before  it 
leads  to  any  unhappy  residts  ; "  and  the  captain  rose  from 
the  ground,  and  glanced  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy's 
pickets. 

''The  most  unhappy  result  I  could  conceive  of  would 
be  your  continuing  this  bad  practice  of  telling  big 
stories,"  replied  Somers,  standing  up  by  the  side  of  his 
companion. 

"  No  more  :  you  add  insult  to  injury,  Somers." 


90  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"Really,  captain,  you  injure  yourself  by  tlii-;  liabit, 
and  "  — 

Captain  de  Banyan,  at  this  point  of  the  conversation, 
suddenly  turned  round,  and  sprang  upon  the  lieutenant, 
bearing  hina  to  the  ground  before  the  latter  could  even 
make  a  movement  in  self-defence.  Together  they  rolled 
upon  the  earth,  at  the  foot  of  the  tree  whose  sheltering 
branches  had  protected  them  from  the  intense  heat  of  the 
sun.  Somers,  as  the  reader  already  knoAvs,  was  bold 
and  belligerent  before  an  attack ;  and,  on  the  impulse  of 
the  moment,  he  proceeded  to  repel  the  sharp  assault  of 
his  companion. 

"  If  you  fight  a  duel  in  tliat  way,  I  am  ready  to  take 
part  in  it,"  said  he,  his  face  red  with  anger.  ''Let  go 
of  me  ! " 

"With  pleasure,  my  dear  boy,"  replied  De  Banyan, 
edging  away  from  him. 

"What  do  you  mean  by  pitching  into  me  in  that  way  ?" 
demanded  Somers  angrily. 

"  I  have  been  trying  this  half  hour  to  teach  you  a  use- 
ful lesson  ;  but  you  don't  know  Avho  your  best  friends 
are." 

"I  think  I  do.  Some  of  them  tell  the  truth  some- 
times." 

"  Somers  !  "  said  the  captain  sternly. 

"Captain  de  Banyan !"  replied  the  lieutenant  firmly. 

"  Do  you  see  that  hole  in  the  tree  ?  "  continued  Captain 
de  Banyan,  pointing  to  a  fresh  bullet-mark. 


THE   ADVENTUIiEF!    OF     f.V  Jli.^fY    OFFTCEIi.  91 

''  I  do." 

*'  I  only  pulled  you  down  to  keep  thtit  rillc-ball  IVoin 
going  through  your  head.  I  saw  a  rebel  picket  through 
the  trees,  ready  to  fire  at  us.  The  ball  struck  the  tree  be- 
fore we  struck  the  ground." 

"Forgive  me,  captain.  I  did  not  understand  the  move- 
ment," replied  Somers,  extending  his  hand. 

"  T\"ith  all  my  heart,"  replied  the  captain,  taking  the 
proftered  hand.  "We  don't  always  know  who  our  best 
friends  are." 

"  Perhaps  not ;  but  I  know  that  you  are  one  of  my 
best  friends.  You  have  just  given  mc  another  reason  for 
wishing  you  did  not" —  Somers  hesitated,  not  thinking 
it  exactly  fair  to  reproach  his  companion  for  his  vile 
habit,  after  he  had  rendered  him  such  a  signal  service. 

"  Lie,"  added  De  Banyan,  finishing  the  sentence. 

"Perhaps  it  isn't  exactly  lying:  you  don't  mean  to 
deceive  any  one.  At  the  worst,  they  are  only  Avhite  lies. 
Now,  captain,  don't  you  think  you  exaggerate  some- 
times ?  " 

"  "Well,  perhaps  I  do  :  my  memory  is  rather  poor.  I 
don't  carry  my  diary  with  me." 

"  Don't  you  think  it  would  be  better  if  you  could  con- 
fine yourself  to  the  exact  truth?"  added  Somers,  who 
really  felt  a  deep  interest  in  his  associate. 

"  I  think  it  very  likely  it  would  ;  but  things  get  a  little 
mixed  up  in  my  mind.     My  memory  is  poor  on  details. 


92  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

Just  after  the  battle  of  Magenta,  ^vliilc  I  was  lying 
wounded  on  the  ground,  one  of  the  emperor's  staff  rode 
up  to  me,  and  asked  how  many  cannon  my  regiment  had 
captured.  To  save  my  life,  I  couldn't  tell  whether  it  was 
two  hundred  or  three  hundred.  My  memory  is  very 
treacherous  on  details." 

"  I  believe  you  are  hopeless,  captain,"  laughed  Som- 
ers. 

"Hopeless?" 

"  Why,  you  have  told  the  biggest  story  that  has  passed 
your  lips  to-day." 

"What,  about  the  cannon?" 

"Two  hundred  or  three  hundred!  Wliy,  your  regi- 
ment captured  all  the  guns  the  Austrians  had  !  " 

"  Didn't  I  tell  you  I  couldn't  remember  whether  it 
was  two  hundred  or  three  hundred  ?  You  are  the  most 
critical  young  man  I  ever  met  in  the  whole  course  of  my 
life  ! " 

"  But  two  hundred  would  be  an  abominable  exa"r;2:era- 
tion.     Perhaps  you  meant  muskets  ?  " 

"  No :  cannon." 

"  But,  my  dear  captain,  just  consider  for  one  moment. 
Of  course  the  batteries  were  supported  ?  " 

"To  be  sure  they  were." 

"  Six  guns  to  a  battery  would  have  made  fifty  batte- 
ries ;  and " — 

"  Oh,  confound  your  statistics  !  "  exclaimed  the  captain 
impatiently. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  93 

"  But  Statistics  enable  ns  to  see  the  truth.  Nov/,  cap- 
taiu,  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  I  saw  a  man  "  — 

''  You?"  demanded  Captain  de  Banyan. 

"  I  said  so." 

''  AVere  you  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill?" 

"  Didu't  you  see  me  there  ?  " 

"  Come,  come,  Somers :  you  shouldn't  trifle  with  the 
truth.     I  was  not  at  the  battle  you  speak  of." 

''But  I  was"  — 

"  You  !  You  were  not  born  till  sixty  years  after  the 
battle  of  Bunker  Hill." 

"  But  I  was  —  only  illustrating  your  case." 

"  Here  comes  an  orderly  with  something  from  head- 
quarters," said  Captain  de  Banyan,  apparently  as  much 
rejoiced  to  change  the  conversation  as  the  reader  will  be 
to  have  it  changed. 

The  orderly  proceeded  to  the  position  occupied  by  the 
field  and  staff  officers  of  the  regiment ;  and,  a  few  mo- 
ments later,  came  an  order  for  Lieutenant  Somers,  with 
twenty  of  his  men,  selected  for  special  duty,  to  report  at 
the  division  headquarters. 

"  You  are  in  luck,  Somers  ;  you  will  have  a  glorious 
opportunity  to  distinguish  yourself,"  said  Captain  de 
Banyan,  whose  second  lieutenant  was  ordered  to  the 
command  of  Somers's  company. 

'^  I  don't  know  what  it  means,"  replied  our  lieu- 
tenant. 


94  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"Don't  you,  indeed  ?  "  added  the  captain  with  a  smile. 
''Don't  you  know  wliat  special  duty  means?  On  the 
night  before  the  battle  of  Solferino  "  — 

"  Excuse  me,  Captain  de  Banyan  ;  but  I  am  ordered 
to  report  forthwith,"  interrupted  Somers,  who  had  no 
desire  to  hear  another  "  whopper." 

The  young  lieutenant  marched  olF,  with  his  little  force, 
to  report  as  he  had  been  directed.  He  knew  his  men 
Avell  enougli  to  enable  him  to  make  a  good  selection  ;  and 
he  was  confident  that  they  would  stand  by  him  to  the 
last. 

"Do  you  know  Senator  Guilford?"  demanded  the 
general,  after  Somers  had  passed  through  all  the  forms 
of  reporting. 

"  I  do,  general,"  replied  the  lieutenant,  with  a  fearful 
blush,  and  with  a  wish  in  his  heart  that  the  distinguished 
senator  had  minded  his  OAvn  business. 

"  He  speaks  well  of  you,  Lieutenant  Somers,"  added 
the  general. 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  him  for  his  kindness ; 
but  I  never  saw  him  but  once  in  my  life." 

"  He  asks  a  favor  for  you." 

"  I  am  very  much  obliged  to  him  ;  but  I  don't  ask  any 
for  myself,  and  I  hope  you  will  not  grant  it.  If  any 
favors  are  bestowed  upon  me,  I  prefer  to  earn  tlicui 
myself." 

"  Good  !  "  exclaimed  the  general.     "But  I  assure  you 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AHMY   OFFICER.  95 

and  Senator  Guilford  that  no  man  in  this  division  of  the 
army  will  get  a  position  he  does  not  deserve.  I  assure 
you,  Lieutenant  Somcrs,  I  should  have  tlirowu  tlie  sena- 
tor's letter  among  the  waste  paper,  if  I  had  not  known 
you  before.  I  remember  you  at  Williamsburg  ;  and  you 
did  a  pretty  thing  in  the  wheat-field  yesterday.  You  are 
just  the  man  I  want.'* 

*'  Thank  you,  sir :  I  should  be  very  glad  to  prove  that 
your  good  opinion  is  well  founded." 

Apart  from  others,  and  in  a  low  tone,  the  general  gave 
his  orders  to  Lieutenant  Somers  to  undertake  a  very 
dilRcult  and  dangerous  scouting  expedition. 

"  Before  sundown  you  will  be  a  prisoner  in  Richmond, 
or  a  first  lieutenant,"  added  the  general  as  Somers  with- 
drew. 


96  TILE    YOUNG   LIEUTESA^T i    OR 


CHAPTER    IX. 

LIEUTENANT    SOMERS    CHANGES    HIS    NAME   AND 
CHARACTER. 

(V^rVIKE  the  major-generals  in  the  army,  Lieutenant 
^1        Somers  had  strong  aspirations  in  the  direction 
/  ■^''     of  an  independent  command.     Like  those  dis- 
tinguished -worthies,  no  doubt,  he  felt  competent 
to  perform  bigger  things  than  he  had  yet  been  called  to 
achieve  in  the  ordinary  routine  of  duty.      He  had  the 
blood  of  heroes  in  his  veins  ;  and,  in  spite  of  all  he  could 
do  to  keep  his  thoughts  withhi  the  limits  of  modesty,  he 
found  them  soaring  to  the  regions  of  the  improbable  and 
fanciful.     His    imagination   led   him   a  wild   race,  and 
pictured  him  in  the  act  of  performing  marvellous  deeds 
of  valor  and  skill. 

Fancy  is  a  blind  and  reckless  leader  ;  and  it  gave  our 
hero  oftentimes  a  command  -which  his  reason  would  not 
have  permitted  him  to  accept.  "What  boys,  and  even  -what 
men,  think  when  stimulated  by  ambition,  would  be  too 
ridiculous  to  put  upon  paper.  If  their  thoughts  could  be 
disclosed  to  the  impertinent  eye  of  the  Avorld,  the  propri- 
etors would  blushingly  disown  and  disclaim  them. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  97 

Still,  almost  every  live  man  and  boy  gives  the  reins  to 
his  fancy  ;  and  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  Ave  will 
venture  to  say,  there  were  a  hundred  thousand  privates 
and  oHicers  Avho  permitted  themselves  to  dream  that 
they  were  brigadiers  and  major-generals ;  that  they 
did  big  things,  and  received  the  grateful  homage  of  the 
■world.  At  any  rate.  Lieutenant  Somers  did,  modest  as 
he  was,  even  Avhile  he  felt  that  he  was  utterly  incom- 
petent to  perform  the  duties  incumbent  on  the  two 
stars  or  the  one  star. 

Experience  had  given  him  some  confidence  in  his  own 
powers  ;  and  there  w^as  something  delightful  in  the  idea 
of  having  an  independent  command.  It  was  a  partial,  a 
very  partial,  realization  of  the  wanderings  of  his  vivid 
fancy.  He  felt  able  to  do  something  which  Lilian  Ash- 
ford  would  take  pleasure  in  reading  in  the  newspapers ; 
perhaps  something  which  would  prove  his  fitness  for  a 
brigadier's  star  at  some  remote  period.  Now,  w^e  have 
made  all  this  explanation  to  show  how  Somers  had  pre- 
pared himself  to  accomplish  some  great  thing.  The 
mission  with  which  he  had  been  intrusted  w'as  an  im- 
portant one  ;  and  the  safety  of  the  whole  left  wing  of  the 
army  might  depend  upon  its  faithful  performance. 

He  Avas  wrought  up  to  the  highest  pitch  of  patriotic 
inspiration  by  the  charge  which  had  been  laid  upon  him ; 
and  he  Avas  determined  to  bring  back  the  information  re- 
quired of  him,  even  if  he  had  to  fly  through  the  air  to 


98  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

obtain  it.  It  was  of  no  use  to  suggest  impossibilities  to  a 
young  man  in  such  a  frame  of  mind  :  he  did  not  know 
the  meaning  of  the  word.  To  impress  liim  with  the  im- 
portance of  the  duty  intrusted  to  him,  the  general  of 
division  had  given  him  a  faint  outline  of  the  intended 
movements  of  the  army.  If  the  enemy  massed  his 
forces  in  this  direction,  it  was  of  vital  necessity  that 
the  general  should  know  it. 

Thus  prepared  and  thus  inspired,  Lieutenant  Somers 
marched  his  little  force  to  the  point  from  which  he  pro- 
posed to  operate.  On  his  right  hand  there  Avas  a  dense 
wood,  on  the  border  of  which  extended  one  of  the 
numerous  cross-roads  that  checker  the  country.  On  his 
left  was  another  piece  of  woods,  terminating  in  a  point, 
about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  road,  and  in  the 
centre  of  a  valley. 

On  the  hill  beyond  Avas  the  intrenched  line  of  the 
rebels.  In  front  of  it,  at  the  foot  of  the  slope,  was  a 
line  of  rifle-pits,  which  were  occupied  by  the  rebel 
pickets.  The  hill  and  the  woods  concealed  the  oper- 
ations of  the  enemy ;  and  no  signal  station  was  high 
enough  to  obtain  the  necessary  information.  The  woods 
on  both  sides  of  the  open  space  were  picketed  by 
the  rebels  ;  and  the  rifle-pits  in  front  were  an  effectual 
check  to  the  advance  of  a  small  force,  while  a  large  one 
could  not  be  sent  up  without  bringing  on  a  general  en- 
gagement, which  had  been  prohibited  by  the  command- 
ing general. 


THE   AnVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  99 

Lieutenant  Somers  surveyed  the  ground,  and  came  to 
the  conclusion  that  his  chance  of  spending  the  night  in 
Libby  Prison  was  better  than  his  chance  of  being  made 
a  first  lieutenant.  The  rifle-pits  had  a  chilling  effect  upon 
the  fine  dreams  in  which  his  fancy  had  indulged.  He 
was  not  a  grub,  and  could  not  burrow  through  the  earth 
to  the  rebel  lines  ;  he  had  no  wings,  and  could  not  fly 
over  them.  The  obstacles  which  are  so  easily  overcome 
in  one's  dreams  appear  mouutain-liigh  in  real  life.  He 
looked  troubled  and  anxious  ;  but,  having  put  his  hand  to 
the  plough,  he  was  determined  not  to  turn  back. 

The  best  Avay  to  conquer  a  difficulty  is  to  charge  upon 
it ;  and  this  Somers  decided  to  do,  even  though  he  had 
no  well-defined  plan  for  the  accomplishment  of  his  pur- 
pose. Avoiding  the  observation  of  the  rebels  in  the  rifle- 
pits,  he  moved  round,  and  reached  the  point  of  woods  on 
the  left  of  the  road. 

"Excuse  me,  Lieutenant  Somers,"  said  Sergeant  Hap- 
good  with  a  military  salute  :  "  'tain't  none  o'  my  business  ; 
but  I'd  like  to  know  where  you  are  goin'  to." 

"  Through  this  Avoods,"  replied  Somers  doggedly. 

"  You  used  to  be  a  good  boy,  when  you  was  a  boy ; 
and  I  hope  you've  said  your  prayers,"  replied  old  Hap- 
good,  appalled  at  the  prospect  before  his  young  friend. 

"  Don't  you  croak,  uncle,"  added  Somers. 

"  The  rebels'  pickets  are  up  here,  not  twenty  rods  dis- 
tant. Do  you  calculate  to  go  through  them,  or  over 
them?" 


100  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"Either, — just  as  I  can;  but  I  am  going  through, 
somehow  or  other." 

"  It  can't  be  done  !  Thunderation  !  you'll  bring  down 
the  whole  rebel  army  upon  us  !  You  don't  think  of 
going  over  there  with  only  twenty  men  ! " 

"  I  do,  uncle.  I'm  going  over  on  that  hill  yonder,  and 
I'm  coming  back  again  before  night." 

Hapgood  tapped  his  forehead  significantly  with  his 
finger  to  indicate  that  the  young  lieutenant  Inid  lost  his 
senses. 

"I  Avas  ordered  td  do  it,  and  I  am  going  to  do  it,  uncle. 
You  can  set  your  mind  at  rest  on  that  point." 

"  It  can't  be  did  !  "  said  the  old  man  positively.  "  I 
don't  keer  who  told  you  to  do  it :  it  can't  be  did  with 
less'n  twenty  thousand  men.  You  will  sacrifice  yourself 
and  all  the  rest  of  us." 

*' You  may  return  to  the  camp,  if  you  wish." 
"^Tom  Somers,  —  Lieutenant  Somers,"  said    the  old 
man,  much  hurt  by  the  words  of  the  young  oiHcer,  *'you 
know  I'm  not  afraid  of  any  thing ;  and  I  didn't  expect 
you'd  say  that  to  me." 

"  Excuse  me,  uncle  :  I  didn't  mean  it.  Now,  hear  mc 
a  moment." 

In  a  low  tone.  Lieutenant  Somers  told  the  sergeant  the 
nature  of  his  mission,  and  what  depended  upon  its 
prompt  and  successful  execution. 

"  He  ought  to  have  sent  a  division  to  do  such  a  job," 


THE  ADl-EXTURES   OF  A2f  ARMY   OFFICER. 


101 


mattered  the  old  man,  taking  off  his  cap,  and  scratching 
his  bald  head.  "  Ilowsomever,  I'm  ready  to  follow  you 
wherever  you  choose  to  go." 

"  Forward,  then,"  replied  Somers ;  and  they  advanced 
cautiously  through  the  woods  till  they  came  to  a  kind 
of  bog-hole,  beyond   which   they  discovered   the   rebel 

pickets.  . 

The  party  lay  down  on  the  groimd,  and  crawled  on  the 
edge  of  the  bog,  till  tl>ey  obtained  a  fair  view  of  the 

rebels. 

"Xow,  uncle,  the  time  has  come,  and  my  plan  is 
formed,"  said  Somers  in  a  whisper.  "When  they  d>s- 
cover  you,  retreat  with  the  men  as  fast  as  you  can.  Fire 
on  the  rebels  ;  but  don't  pay  any  attention  to  me." 

"  Where  are  you  going?"  demanded  the  old  man. 

»  When  you  retire,  I  am  going  to  roll  into  that  grass. 
They  will  follow  you  ;  and,  as  soon  as  they  have  passed 
me,  I  shall  move  forward." 

« I  won't  do  any  thing  of  the  sort.  Thunderation  !  you 
are  "oin'  to  run  right  into  the  arms  of  the  rebels." 

"Obey  my  orders  !     That's  all  you  have  to  do.    I  can 

take  care  of  myself." 

"  Excuse  me,  Tom  —  Lieutenant  Somers." 

"  I  know  all  about  it,  uncle.    You  do  what  I  tell  you, 

and  you  shall  have  all  the  particulars  to-night,  when  I 

return." 

"  Return  !     You  wiU  be  in  Libby,  if  you  are  not  shot, 

by  dark." 


102  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  If  I  am,  leave  that  to  me,"  replied  Somers,  as  he 
rolled  over  ioto  the  long  grass  of  the  bog,  and  entirely 
concealed  himself  from  the  view  of  his  own  men.  "  Now 
fire  one  or  two  shots  into  the  rebel  picket,  and  then 
retire." 

Hapgood  reluctantly  obeyed  the  order  ;  though  he  felt 
as  though  he  was  signing  the  death-warrant  of  his  young 
friend  by  doing  so.  The  bullets  began  to  fly ;  but  the 
sergeant  took  care  to  keep  his  men  out  of  sight  as  they 
retreated.  The  enemy  followed  ;  for  they  always  chase 
a  retiring  foe,  and  run  from  an  advancing  one.  They 
reached  the  bog  in  which  Somers  was  concealed,  where 
one  of  the  three  fell  before  a  ball  which  the  lieutenant 
was  sure  had  been  directed  by  the  practised  eye  of  the 
veteran  sergeant.  The  other  two  swore  at  the  calamity, 
and  vowed  vengeance  on  the  Yankee  who  had  done  the 
deed. 

Hapgood  continued  to  retire,  and  led  his  foe  to  the 
very  verge  of  the  woods.  In  the  mean  time,  the  lieuten- 
ant emerged  from  his  hiding-place.  The  iii'st  object  that 
attracted  his  attention  was  the  ghastly  face  of  the  dead 
rebel.  The  sight  of  him  was  not  pleasant,  but  it 
was  suggestive  ;  and,  without  the  loss  of  a  moment,  he 
dragged  the  body  into  the  grass,  and  hastily  removed  the 
uniform  from  it.  It  was  a  loathsome  task ;  but  the 
necessity  of  the  moment  seemed  to  justify  the  act.  Taking 
off  his  own  uniform,  he  put  on  that  of  the  dead  rebel, 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AEMY  OFFICER.         103 

who  was  fortimately  about  his  own  size.  Rolling  up  his 
own  clothing  in  as  small  a  bundle  as. possible,  he  con- 
cealed it  in  the  bog,  at  some  distance  from  the  place 
where  the  picket  had  fallen.  Dragging  the  corpse  to  a 
quagmire,  he  sunk  it  beneath  the  muddy  waters,  and  it 
passed  from  his  view.  After  taking  the  precaution  to 
straighten  up  the  long  grass,  which  might  have  betrayed 
Lis  movements,  he  advanced  towards  the  rebel  lines. 

Lieutenant  Somers  felt  that  he  was  now  actually  em- 
barked in  his  perilous  venture.  He  was  within  the 
enemy's  line,  and  in  disguise.  If  discovered,  he  would 
be  liable  to  the  penalty  of  being  a  spy.  But,  inasmuch 
as  he  did  not  intend  to  be  discovered,  he  did  not  think 
it  necessary  to  expend  his  nervous  energy  in  a  discus- 
sion of  this  question.  Success  was  a  duty  to  him  ;  and 
he  spent  no  time  in  considering  the  dark  side  of  the 
picture. 

He  was  excited,  and  he  knew  that  he  was  excited. 
He  knew  that  coolness  and  impudence  were  the  essential 
elements  of  success  in  such  an  adventure  ;  and,  when  he 
had  followed  the  woods  nearly  to  the  top  of  the  hill,  he 
sat  down  to  recover  his  self-possession,  and  compose  his 
nerves  to  their  natural  quietude.  It  was  not  a  very  easy 
matter.  He  had  already  arranged  his  plan  of  future 
operations,  and  he  diligently  set  about  the  business  of 
making  his  appearance  correspond  with  his  circum- 
stances. 


104  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTEXANT ;    CR, 

He  felt  that  he  was  hardly  dirt  j  enough  to  be  a  rebel : 
so  he  rubbed  his  face,  neck,  and  hands  witli  some  dark- 
colored  earth,  ripped  his  pants  and  coat  in  sundry  places, 
and  otherwise  disfigured  his  comely  person,  till  Miss 
Lilian  Ashford  would  not  have  known  hira,  or,  if  she  had 
known  him,  would  have  been  ashamed  to  acknowledge 
his  acquaintance.  Having  completed  this  work  to  his 
entire  satisfaction,  he  rose,  and  resumed  his  march  to- 
wards the  rebel  line.  He  had  advanced  but  a  few  paces 
before  he  felt  something  in  the  breast-pocket  of  his  coat, 
which  excited  his  curiosity.  It  was  a  diary  which  the 
dead  soldier  had  kept  from  the  time  he  entered  the 
army. 

Such  a  work  would  have  been  deeply  interesting  to 
the  lieutenant  at  any  time,  but  especially  at  the  present, 
when  he  was  sadly  in  want  of  the«*information  which 
would  enable  him  to  personate  the  difficult  part  he  had 
chosen  to  perform.  Seating  himself  on  the  ground  again, 
he  was  soon  absorbed  in  the  contents  of  the  note-book. 
The  owner's  name  was  Owen  Raynes  ;  and  from  the  diary 
Somers  learned  tliat  he  had  been  a  clerk  in  Richmond 
when  the  war  broke  out ;  and  that  his  father  resided  on 
the  Williamsburg  Road,  near  Seven  Pines,  -where  the 
battle  had  been  fought.  Somers  was  alarmed  at  tliis  in- 
formation ;  for  the  young  man  must  be  well  known  in  the 
neighborhood.  Of  course  he  could  not  assujne  the  name 
and  character  of  Owen  Raynes. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         105 

Though  the  time  Avas  precious,  he  continued  to  read 
the  diary  till  he  came  to  au  entry  which  excited  iiis 
deep  interest:  "Poor  Allan  Garland  was  captured  to-day 
by  the  Yankees  ;  and  I  suppose  they  will  torture  and 
starve  the  poor  fellow,  as  they  have  the  rest  of  our  boys 
who  have  fallen  into  their  hands.  AVe  shall  never  meet 
again,     lie  was  a  good  fellow.     He  was  on  a  scout." 

Soniers  was  deeply  concerned  about  poor  Allan  Gar- 
land, who  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  terrible 
Yankees,  to  be  tortured  and  starved  ;  and  he  turned  back 
to  the  beginning  of  the  diary  to  obtain  further  particulars 
in  regard  to  this  interesting  person.  Fortunately  for  his- 
tory, and  particularly  for  Lieutenant  Somers,  Owen 
Ilaynes  had  given  a  tolerably  full  account  of  his  friend. 
They  had  been  to  school  together  in  Union,  Alabama, 
where  Owen  had  an  uncle,  and  where  Allan  resided. 
They  were  fast  friends :  and  both  agreed  to  enlist  as  \ol- 
imteers  in  the  Fourth  Alabama,  Colonel  Bush  Jones  ;  for 
their  schoolmates  were  mostly  in  this  regiment. 

When  the  regiment  arrived  at  Richmond,  Owen  had 
not  time  to  visit  his  father ;  for  the  troops  Avere  instantly 
ordered  to  Manassas,  and  he  enrolled  himself  without 
discovering  that  his  friend  was  not  in  the  ranks.  He 
was  too  sick  to  come  wdth  his  comrades  ;  "  wrote  letter 
to  Allan  "  was  a  frequent  entry  in  the  diary,  until  June 
18,  18G2,  when  this  record  appears:  "Allan  joined  the 
regiment  to-day  ;  has  been  sick  about  a  year ;  is  very 


106  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

well  now ;  he  is  a  handsome  fellow.  Sue  shall  be  his 
wife,  if  I  can  bring  it  about ;  they  have  kept  up  a 
correspondence  for  three  years ;  she  never  saw  him, 
but  she  will  like  him." 

"  All  right ! "  exclaimed  Somers,  as  he  closed  the 
book,  and  put  it  in  his  pocket.  "  I  am  Allan  Garland. 
Don't  think  I  shall  marry  Sue,  though,  whoever  she  may 
be.  I  wonder  if  Lilian  Ashford  would  object.  I  don't 
know  as  she  would.  Never  mind  :  I  am  a  soldier  of  the 
Fourth  Alabama,  Colonel  Jones,  just  nov/.  How  are 
you,  Allan  Garland?" 

He  walked  along  towards  the  rebel  lines,  feeling  in  his 
pockets  for  further  revelations.  An  old  letter  from  Allan 
Garland  rewarded  his  search.  He  spoke  tenderly  of  Sue, 
who  Avas  Owen's  sister. 

"  Sue  wouldn't  think  I'm  very  handsome  just  now,'* 
said  Somers,  glancing  at  his  dirty  hands,  and  imagining 
his  dirty  face,  as  he  continued  to  advance. 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFUKIL         107 


CHAPTER  X. 

ALLAN    GARLAND    AND    FRIENDS. 

C"^^     LLAX  GARLAXD,  nee  Somers,  advanced  coa- 

i\       fideutly  towards  the  rebel  line.     As  he  was  lo 

/^^\/  perform  the  leading  part  in  the  exciting  drama 

about  to  be  acted,  he  conducted  himself  with  the 

utmost  caution.     Every  thing  depended  upon  the  amount 

of  impudence  he  could  bring  to  bear  upon  the  case  before 

hira,  and  the  skill  Avith  which  he  personated  the  part  he 

had  chosen.    He  knew  of  nothinj^,  short  of  falling  on  the 

Fourth  Alabama,   which  could   disconcert  him.      Even 

if  he  did,  there  were  only  a  few  Avho  knew  the  captured 

scout ;  and  his  chances  were  fair,  even  if  the  worst  should 

befall  him. 

*'  Stand  !  "  said  a  rebel  sentinel  on  the  breastwork  of 
the  line.     "  AVho  goes  there  ?  " 

''  Friend,"  replied  Somers  confidently. 

"  What's  your  name  ?  " 

"  Allan  Garland.  Can  you  tell  nie  Avliere  the  Fourth 
Alabama  is  ?  " 

"  About  four  miles  from  here.  Do  you  belong  to  the 
Fourth  Alabama  ?  " 


108  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ^    OR, 

"  Well,  I  did  before  I  ^vas  captured :  I  dou't  kuow 
-where  I  beloug  now." 

"Where  d'ye  come  from?" 

"Just  got  away  from  the  Yankees.  They  gobbled  me 
up  about  three  weeks  ago." 

"  Bully  for  you  !  Come  in :  you  can  report  to  the 
officer  of  the  day." 

Somers  was  entirely  willing,  and  hastened  iu  the  direc- 
tion indicated  by  the  sentinel ;  and  was  soon  ushered  into 
the  presence  of  Major  Plainer,  brigade-officer  of  the  day. 
lie  was  a  very  pompous  little  man,  and  Somers  saw  his 
weakness  as  soon  as  he  spoke.  With  a  most  profound 
bow,  he  answered  the  questions  of  the  major,  using  the 
utmost  deference  in  his  tone  and  manner. 

"  How  dare  you  present  yourself  before  an  officer  of 
the  day  Avith  such  a  dirty  face?"  demanded  ]Major 
Platner. 

"  I  hope  your  honor  will  pardon  me  ;  but  I  have  just 
escaped  from  the  Yankees,  and  have  not  had  time  to 
wash  my  face.  If  you  please,  sir,  I  will  go  and  do  it 
now.  I  thought  I  ought  to  come  to  you  without  any 
delay." 

"  You  did  right,  young  man,"  replied  the  major  with 
a  consequential  flourish  of  the  hand.  "  You  were  out 
scouting  when  you  were  taken?" 

"  Yes,  sir." 

Major  Platner  then  proceeded  to   ask  a  great  many 


THE   ADVEXTUIiES    OF  AX  AIIMY   OFFKER.  109 

questions  in  ro^ranl  to  the  force  and  position  of  llic 
Yankees  ;  all  of  wliieli  Somers  answered  entirely  in  the 
interest  of  the  Union  party,  lie  "vvas  very  careful  not  to 
give  a  particle  of  information  that  could  be  usefid  to  the 
rebels  ;  at  the  same  time  avoiding  any  gross  exaggera- 
tions -which  would  throw  discredit  on  his  story 

"•You  seem  to  be  a  very  intelligent  and  patriotic  young 
mau,"  added  the  ofTiccr.  "  I  have  heard  some  inquiries 
for  a  person  of  your  description  to-day." 

"I  have  always  endeavored  to  do  my  duty  to  my 
country,"  answered  Somers,  trying  to  blush  under  the 
compliment  of  the  patronizing  little  major  ;  ''  and  I  kept 
my  eyes  wide  open  -while  I  was  in  the  Yankee 
camps." 

"  I  see  you  did.  Your  information  is  very  definite, 
and,  I  doubt  not,  very  reliable." 

"  My  only  desire  has  been  to  serve  my  country,  sir," 
added  Somers  very  modestly. 

''  Well,  go  and  wash  your  face,  so  that  we  can  see 
what  color  you  are,  and  I  will  report  your  name  to  the 
general,  who  was  inquiring  for  a  useful  person  like  your- 
self. I  trust  that  you  will  have  discretioQ  enough  not  to 
mention  any  thing  that  has  passed  between  us." 

"•  Certainly  not,  sir.  I  judge,  from  what  you  have 
said,  that  ray  poor  services  may  be  required  for  some 
special  service." 

''  That  is  the  idea  which  I  intended  to  convey.     In  a 


110  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

word,  llie  commander  of  tliis  division  wants  information. 
Yoii  liave  just  come  from  the  Yankee  lines,  and  you 
know  where  to  look  for  the  intelligence  that  will  be  of 
the  most  value  to  us." 

"  I  think  I  do,  sir." 

"  The  fact  that  you  have  just  made  your  way  through 
the  Yankee  lines  shows  that  you  possess  the  necessary 
address." 

"  I  thank  you  for  your  good  opinion  ;  and  I  assure  you, 
sir,  that  I  should  be  very  glad  to  serve  my  country  in  any 
capacity  in  which  she  may  require  my  humble  labors." 

"  Very  well,  young  man." 

"  A  plan  occurs  to  me  noAv,  by  which  I  could  easily 
enter  the  Yankee  lines." 

"Indeed!     What  is  that?" 

"  When  I  ran  through  the  enemy's  pickets,  they  fired 
upon  me,  and  one  of  them  chased  me.  I  brought  him 
down  with  my  pistol,"  replied  Somers,  producing  the 
weapon,  which  he  had  taken  the  precaution  to  bring  with 
him.  "  I  know  just  where  that  Yankee  lies  now  ;  I  could 
borrow  his  uniform,  and  go  in  among  the  enemy  without 
suspicion." 

"  Very  well  arranged,  young  man." 

The  major  then  directed  an  orderly  to  attend  to  the 
wants  of  the  fugitive,  and  gave  the  latter  orders  to  report 
to  him  within  two  hours.  Somers  washed  his  face,  and 
partook  of  some  cold  bacon  and  corn  bread,  which   con- 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  Ill 

Ptitiited  the  staple  of  tlie  rebel  rations.  lie  then  told  the 
orderly  that  he  wanted  to  look  round  a  little,  and  find 
his  regiment,  if  he  could ;  but  Avas  informed  that  the 
camp  regulations  did  not  permit  any  strolling  about  the^ 
camps.  He  suggested  that  tlie  olFieer  of  the  day  would 
give  him  a  pass,  and  he  returned  to  the  major  to  beg  this 
favor.  It  was  readily  granted  ;  and  the  time  for  him  to 
report  was  extended  to  four  hours,  as  his  regiment  was 
situated  at  some  distance  from  the  brigade  camp,  though 
it  belonged  to  the  same  division. 

Thus  provided,  Somers  commenced  his  tour  of  obser- 
vation. Of  course,  he  had  no  intention  of  visiting  the 
Fourth  Alabama  ;  for  that  would  have  been  putting  his 
head  into  the  lion's  mouth.  "We  need  only  say,  that  he 
used  his  time  to  the  best  advantage  for  the  country  in 
whose  service  he  had  enlisted.  He  noted  the  brigades, 
regiments,  and  batteries  of  artillery,  which  he  saw  in  his 
M-alk  ;  and  arranged  a  little  scheme  in  his  mind,  by  which 
he  could  remember  the  number  of  each. 

In  the  course  of  his  perambulations,  he  reached  the 
AVilliamsburg  Road,  and  Avas  on  the  point  of  extending 
his  observations  in  the  direction  of  the  railroad,  Avhen  he 
was  stopped  by  a  sentinel.  He  produced  his  pass,  which 
the  rebel  soldier  could  not  read  ;  and  he  Avas  conducted  to 
the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  Avho  Avas  listening  to  a  conver- 
sation between  a  captain  and  an  old  man  who  appeared 
to  be  a   farmer.      They   were   bargaining  about    some 


112  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

forage  v.liicli  tlic  captaia  wautcd,  and  wliich  tliu  i'arnier 
Avas  not  disposed  to  sell. 

''  What  have  you  there?"  demanded  tlie  officer,  as  the 
sentinel  brought  in  tlie  doubtful  case. 

^^  Man  with  a  pass." 

''  Your  pass  is  good  up  to  the  Williamsburg  Road,  and 
no  farther,"  said  the  sergeant  "when  he  had  rcjid  the 
document. 

"I  didn't  know  Aviierc  the  lines  were,"  replied  Somers, 
returning  the  pass  to  liis  pocket. 

"AVhere  are  you  going?"  asked  the  officer,  apparently 
not  satisfied  with  the  appearance  of  the  "  man  Avith  a 
pass." 

''Looking  for  my  regiment,  sir,"  replied  Somers,  giving 
the  military  salute  ;  whicli  excess  of  politeness,  however, 
Avas  lost  on  the  matter-of-fact  captain. 

"  What  regiment  ?  " 

"The  Fourth  Alabama." 

"  The  Fourth  Alabama !  What  are  you  doing  over 
here,  then?" 

"■  I  am  a  stranger  in  these  parts  ;  and  I  don't  knov/ 
Avhere  to  look.  I  have  just  escaped  from  the  Yank^s, 
and  don't  kuoAv  mucli  about  this  part  of  the  country." 

"  What  is  your  name  ?  " 

"Allan  Garland,  sir." 

"  What ! "  exclaimed  the  old  farmer,  suddenly  be- 
coming interested  in  the  conversation. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER         113 

"  lu  my  opinion,  you  are  a  deserter,"  added  the  officer 
in  a  crabbed  tone.  "  I  advise  you  to  arrest  him,  sergeant. 
That  pass  is  good  for  nothing  on  this  road." 

"  No,  captain  ;  he  is  not  a  deserter,"  interposed  the 
farmer  with  energy.  "  I  know  him  well ;  and  he  is  as 
true  and  patriotic  a  young  man  as  there  is  in  the 
Southern  Confederacy." 

Somers  looked  at  the  farmer  with  astonishment.  He 
did  not  remember  to  have  seen  him  before  ;  and  he  could 
uot  account  for  the  interest  he  manifested  in  his  case 
"What  do  you  know  of  him,  Mr.  Raynes?" 
Mr.  Raynes  !  That  explained  the  matter ;  and  Somers 
could  uot  help  shuddering  in  the  presence  of  the  man 
whose  son  he  had  buried  in  the  soft  mud  of  the  bog. 

''  He  is  my  son's  friend,"  replied  the  farmer.  ''  Both 
of  them  belong  to  the  Fourth  Alabama." 

*'  That  may  be,  Mr.  Raynes  ;  but  do  you  suppose  a 
man  looking  for  the  Fourth  Alabama  would  be  wander- 
ing about  here  ?  " 

"He  is  a  stranger  in  Virginia.  He  came  on  from 
Alabama  only  a  few  weeks  since,  and  was  captured 
whTle  out  on  a  scouting  expedition.  I  assure  you,  cap- 
tain, it  is  all  right:  I  will  vouch  for  him." 

"  Very  well,  Mr.  Raynes  !  If  the  sergeant  is  willing 
to  take  your  word  for  it,  I  have  nothing  further  to  say. 
Indeed,  it  is  no  business  of  mine  ;  but  our  soldiers  are 
allowed  to  walk  over  to  the  enemy,  or  back  into  the 


114  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

woods,  Avitliout  let  or  liiuderance.  It's  a  disgrace  to  the 
service.  Major  Platner  gives  this  man  a  pass  to  go  all 
over  the  country.     Do  as  you  please,  sergeant." 

"  I  mean  to,"  replied  the  sergeant  in  an  under-tone ; 
for  he  was  not  pleased  at  this  interference  on  the  part  of 
a  commissary  of  subsistence,  who  had  nothing  whatever 
to  do  with  the  affair.     "•!  am  satisfied,"  he  added  aloud. 

"Allan,  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you  ;  and  I  thank  God 
that  you  have  been  enabled  to  escape  from  the  Yankees. 
Have  you  seen  Owen  since  you  got  back?  " 

Somers  trembled  at  the  question  ;  and,  while  he  did  not 
dare  to  tell  the  old  man  the  truth,  the  thought  of  telling 
him  a  falsehood  was  utterly  repulsive  to  his  nature.  It 
was  easy  enough  to  deceive  the  enemy  in  war,  —  his  duty 
called  upon  him  to  do  this  ;  but  to  deceive  an  old,  fond 
father,  in  regard  to  a  true  and  devoted  son,  seemed  terri- 
ble to  him. 

''  He  was  out  on  picket  when  I  came  through,"  he  re- 
plied after  some  hesitation. 

"  Then  you  did  not  meet  him.  He  will  be  delighted  to 
see  you  again  ;  for  really  the  boy  is  as  fond  of  you  as  he 
is  of  his  sister." 

Somers  found  himself  unable  to  answer  to  the  warm 
congratulations  of  the  old  man,  or  to  enter  into  the  spirit 
of  the  conversation.  The  staring,  death-sealed  eyes  of 
Owen  Raynes  haunted  him  ;  and,  when  he  attempted  to 
reciprocate  the  friendly  sentiments  of  the  doting  father, 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.        115 

\\\s  lieart  seemed  to  rise  up  in  his  throat,  aud  choke  his 
utterance.  The  ouly  consohitiou  he  coukl  derive  from 
the  remembrance  of  the  scene  in  the  woods  Avas  in  the 
fact  that  he  had  not  taken  the  life  of  Owen  Raynes  him- 
self. He  wore  his  clothes,  and  had  his  diary  and  letters 
in  his  pocket. 

,  "  You  are  very  sad,  Allan  !  I  should  think  you  would 
he  happy  to  escape  from  the  Yankees.  They  would  have 
starved  you  to  death  in  time." 

'•  I  think  not,  sir !  They  are  not  so  cruel  as  that," 
added  Somers,  avIio  desired  to  remove  such  a  reproach 
from  the  mind  of  the  old  man. 

''  Perhaps  they  would  not  willingly  starve  their  prison- 
ers ;  but  I  don't  see  how  they  could  avoid  it.  They  say 
that  the  people  of  the  North  are  suffering  terribly  for  the 
want  of  food.  In  New  York,  the  laboring  classes  have  at- 
tacked the  banks  and  the  flour-stores,  urged  on  by  hunger. 
Tiiere  Avill  be  terrible  times  in  the  North  before  many 
months  have  gone  by.  I  pity  the  people  there,  though  it 
is  their  own  fault.  I  hope  God  will  be  merciful  to  them, 
and  spare  them  from  some  of  the  consequences  of  their 
own  folly.  I  am  thankful  that  you  have  escaped  from 
them." 

"  I  don't  think  they  are  quite  so  badly  off  as  you  say," 
answered  Somers,  provoked  by  this  view  of  the  condition 
and  resources  of  the  North.  "  I  have  talked  with  a 
great  many  Yankee  soldiers,  and  they  say  that  plenty 
.nl>oiinds   in   nil   the  Northern  States." 


116  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTEXAXT;    OR, 

"  They  would  tell  you  so.  They  are  deceived  by  their 
officers." 

"  Thcat's  the  way  it  is  done,"  added  the  rebel  sergeant, 
Avho  had  been  listening  to  the  conversation. 

"  But  I  saw  what  rations  these  soldiers  have.  They 
live  like  lords." 

"  That's  the  very  thing  Avhich  will  starve  all  the  people, 
in  the  North.     Their  big  armies  will  eat  them  out  of 
house  and  home  in  a  few  months,  Allan." 

"  I  think  not,  Mr.  Raynes." 

"  A  gentleman  from  New  York,  who  got  through  the 
lines  last  week,  says  the  grass  is  a  foot  high  in  some  of 
the  streets  of  New  York.  The  people  can't  fmd  any 
thing  to  do,  and  are  cursing  their  rulers  for  plunging 
them  into  this  horrid  war." 

"  I  think  the  gentleman  from  New  York  lied,"  re- 
plied Somers  with  a  smile.  "  I  saw  the  New-York 
papers  every  day  while  I  was  in  the  Yankee  lines  ;  and 
they  are  full  of  advertisements,  which  look  like  business. 
Why,  in  one  paper  I  saw  four  columns  of  '  Wants,'  in 
which  people  advertised  for  farm-laborers,  house-servants, 
clerks,'  and  sailors." 

"  Ah  !  Allan,  those  papers  are  printed  to  sell  in  the 
Yankee  army.  I'm  sure,  I  hope  they  are  not  so  badly 
off  as  has  been  represented.  I  should  not  want  my  worst 
enemy  to  suffer  what  they  are  called  upon  to  endure.  It 
is  all  their  own  fault ;  but  I  hope  God  will  be  merciful 
to  them.'* 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         117 

"  I  tliiiik  you  needu't  feel  bad  about  them,"  added 
Somers,  amused,  but  iudignaut  at  the  pitii'ul  stories 
which  ^vc^c  circulated  iu  the  South  to  keep  up  the 
courage  of  the  people. 

"  Let  that  pass,  then.  Really,  Allan,  I  am  very  glad 
to  sec  you.  You  must  go  to  the  house  with  me.  Sue 
will  be  delighted  to  meet  you.  She  talks  about  you  a 
great  deal ;  and  I  can  insure  you  a  warm  welcome.'' 

"  I  think  I  cannot  stop  to  call  now  ;  but  I  will  try  to 
come  over  iu  a  few  days,"  replied  Somers,  embarrassed 
beyond  measure  at  the  idea  of  faciug  Sue  and  the  rest 
of  the  family. 

"  Not  stop  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Raynes,  holding  up  his 
hands  with  surprise. 

"  Not  now,  sir  :  I  am  in  no  condition  to  appear  before 
ladies,"  he  added,  extending  his  arms  so  as  to  display  his 
tattered  garments  to  the  fullest  advantage.  "You  know 
a  young  man  is  rather  particular  about  his  appearance 
when  he  is  going  into  the  company  of  ladies,  and  especi- 
ally into  the  presence  of  some  ladies.  The  fact  is,  I  tore 
my  uniform  all  to  pieces  after  I  passed  through  the 
Yankee  lines." 

"  Never  mind  your  uniform,  my  boy.  It  looks  as 
though  it  had  seen  service  ;  and  that  is  the  best  recom- 
mendation a  young  man  can  have  to  the  girls  in  these 
times.     You  must  go,  Allan." 

"  Indeed,  sir,  I  hope  you  will  excuse  me  for  a  few 
days,"  pleaded  Somers. 


118  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ,    OR, 

"  Come,  Allan  !  this  is  not  kind  of  you.  Sue  has  been 
dying  to  see  you  for  a  year.  She  was  terribly  dis- 
appointed when  you  did  not  come  up  with  your  regi- 
ment, and  again  when  she  heard  you  had  joined  without 
calling  upon  us.  If  it  had  been  Owen,  she  could  not 
have  felt  worse  when  you  Avere  captured.  Now  you 
want  to  disappoint  her  again." 

"  You  need  not  mention  that  you  have  seen  me,  Mr. 
Raynes,"  suggested  Somers. 

"  Not  tell  her  that  you  have  escaped,  Avhen  she  is  fret- 
ting about  you  every  day  of  her  life  !  That  would  be 
too  bad." 

"You  can  tell  her  as  much  as  you  please  without  in- 
forming her  that  you  have  seen  me." 

"  I  could  not  tell  a  lie,  Allan.  It  would  choke  me," 
said  the  old  man  solemnly.     "  You  must  go  with  me.' 

"  Let  me  get  another  uniform,  and  it  would  surprise 
her  when  I  come." 

"  No  more  words,  young  man.  You  must  go.  It  is 
only  a  short  distance,"  replied  Mr.  Eaynes,  passing  his 
arm  through  that  of  Somers,  and  walking  towards  his 
house.  "  It  will  be  the  happiest  day  for  Sue  which  she 
has  seen  for  a  year." 

"  Happier  for  her  than  it  will  be  for  me,"  thought 
Somers,  who  Avas  disposed  to  break  away  from  the  old 
man,  and  make  his  escape. 

By  this  time,  Sue  had  become  an  awful  bugbear  to  the 


THE  ADVEXTUUES   OF  AX  AliMY  OFFICE n.         119 

poor  follow.  lu  these  days  of  photographs,  it  was  more 
than  probable  that  she  had  a  picture  of  the  original  Allan 
Garland,  and  the  cheat  would  be  discovered  the  moment 
lie  showed  his  face.  lie  was  deliberating  a  plan  for 
breaking  away  from  his  persistent  friend,  when  a  young 
lady  of  eighteen  stepped  out  from  the  bushes  by  the 
roadside,  and  hailed  the  old  man. 


120  TUE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XI. 


THE    VIRGINIA    MAIDEN. 


ry^|(^y//%.  HERE  have   you  beeu,  father?"  said  the 
young  lady  in  a  very  sweet  and  gentle  tone, 


which,  however,  sounded  like  the  knell  of 
doom  to  poor  Somers.  "  I  have  been  waiting 
for  you  half  an  hour." 

But  then,  perceiving  a  stranger  with  her  father,  she 
drew  back,  abashed  at  her  own  forwardness. 

"  Come  here.  Sue,"  said  the  old  man.  "  Come  here  : 
I  want  to  see  you." 

She  advanced  timidly  from  the  bushes  where  she  had 
been  partially  concealed  from  the  gaze  of  the  passers-by. 
She  was  certainly  a  very  pleasant  and  comely-looking 
inaiden  ;  but,  if  she  had  been  the  "  Witch  of  Endor," 
she  could  not  have  been  any  more  disagreeable  to 
Somers.  He  was  as  fond  of  adventure  as  any  young 
man :  and  if  he  could  have  forgotten  that  poor  Owen 
Raynes,  the  son  and  the  brother,  w^as  at  that  moment 
lying  in  the  mud  of  the  swamp  ;  his  manly  form  no 
more  to  gladden  the  hearts  of  those  who  stood  before 
him ;  his  voice  hushed  in  death,  no   more  to  utter  the 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         121 

accents  of  aflToction  to  the  devoted  father  and  his  lovinjr 
sister,  —  if  he  could  have  forgotten  his  relations  with  the 
dead  Owen,  he  might  even  have  enjoyed  the  exciting 
situation  in  which  he  was  placed. 

Sue,  with  a  blushing  face  and  half- averted  gaze, 
stepped  out  into  the  road,  and  stole  a  few  timid  glances 
at  the  young  lieutenant.  It  Avas  quite  evident  that  she 
did  not  have  a  suspicion  of  the  identity  of  the  young 
soldier  before  her.  Her  father  appeared  to  have  a  vein 
of  romance  in  his  character,  and  was  disposed  to  torture 
her  for  a  time  with  the  torments  of  suspense,  before  he  de- 
clared to  her  the  astounding  truth,  that  the  young  soldier 
was  her  well-kno^vn  but  hitherto  unseen  friend  from 
Alabama,  the  bosom  companion  of  her  brother  Owen, 
and,  if  every  thing  worked  as  the  loving  conspirators  in- 
tended, the  future  husband  of  the  affectionate  maiden. 

She  did  not  like  to  ask  who  the  stranger  was ;  and 
she  thought  it  was  very  provoking  of  her  father  not  to 
tell  her,  when  she  was  so  fearfully  embarrassed  by  her 
position.  She  continued  to  blush  ;  and  Somera  felt  so 
awkward,  that  he  couldn't  help  joining  her  in  this  inter- 
esting display  of  roses  on  the  cheeks. 

"Don't  you  know  him.  Sue?"  demanded  the  farmer, 
when  he  had  tantalized  her  as  long  as  the  circumstances 
would  warrant. 

"Why,  of  course  I  don't,  fjxther  !  "  stammered  the  Vir- 
ginia maiden. 


122  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Look  in  his  face,  and  see  if  you  can't  tell,"  persisted 
Mr.  Raynes. 

"  How  absurd,  father  !  " 

"  Absurd,  child  ?  Not  at  all  absurd  !  Haven't  you 
his  picture  in  the  house?  and,  if  I  mistake  not,  you  have 
looked  at  it  as  many  as  three  times  a  day  for  the  last 
year." 

"  Now,  father,  you  are  too  bad  !  I  haven't  done  any 
thing  of  the  sort,"  protested  Sue,  pouting  and  twisting 
her  shoulders  as  any  country  girl,  who  had  not  been 
trained  in  a  satinwood  seminary,  would  have  done  under 
such  trying  circumstances.  "You  don't  mean  to  say  that 
is  Allan  Garland?"  added  she,  her  pretty  face  lighting  up 
with  an  expression  of  intense  satisfaction. 

"But  I  do,  Sue,"  replied  Mr.  Raynes  with  emphasis. 

"  Why,  Allan !  I  am  so  glad  to  see  you !  I  Avas 
afraid  I  should  never  see  you  !  "  exclaimed  Sue,  rushing 
up  to  the  young  man,  and  extending  both  her  hands, 
which  he  felt  compelled  to  accept. 

He  was  fearful  that  she  would  kiss  him  ;  and,  though 
he  would  have  been  under  obligations  to  submit  to  the 
infliction,  he  was  not  sure  that  the  operation  would  not 
cause  him  to  faint.  Fortunately  for  him.  Sue  was 
reasonable  in  her  behavior  ;  and  he  escaped  cheaper  than 
he  expected,  when  he  beheld  the  impetuous  charge  which 
the  maiden  made  upon  him.  If  he  had  really  been  Allan 
Garland,  his  reception  would  have  been  entirely  proper. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER  123 

and  highly  creditable  to  the  affectional  nature  of  the 
Virginia  damsel.  He  was  not  the  young  gentleman  from 
Alabama  ;  and  he  felt  as  though  he  had  been  flanked  on 
both  sides,  with  no  chance  to  beat  off  the  enemy  in  front, 
or  to  run  away  in  the  rear.  He  Avas  only  a  short  dis- 
tance from  a  line  of  rebel  sentinels,  and  he  did  not 
consider  it  prudent  to  escape  by  taking  to  his  legs.  He 
did  not  wear  his  fighting  socks  at  this  time,  and  felt  that 
it  would  be  no  disgrace  to  run  away  from  such  an  enemy 
as  that  which  confronted  him. 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  see  you,  Allan,"  repeated  Sue,  as 
the  AATctched  young  man  did  not  venture  to  use  his 
tongue. 

»'  Thank  you,  thank  you,  Miss  Raynes  ! "  said  he  at 
last,  when  silence  seemed  even  more  dangerous  than 
speech. 

*'Miss  Ra}Tics!  Dear  me,  Allan,  how  very  formal 
and  precise  you  are !  You  called  me  Sue  in  your 
letters." 

"Did  I?  Well  I  didn't  know  it,"  replied  Somers 
with  a  stroke  of  candor  not  to  be  expected  under  the 
circumstances- 

"  Certainly  you  did.  I  don't  think  you  ever  mentioned 
such  a  person  as  Miss  Ilaynes." 

"I  am  confident  I  didn't,"  added  he  with  another 
touch  of  candor.  "  But  I  will  always  call  you  Sue  here- 
after, when  I  have  occasion  to  speak  to  you." 


124  THE    YOU  NO    LIEUTENANT ;     OR, 

"  Thauk  you,  Allan  !  You  begin  to  sound  a  little  like 
yourself." 

Somers  was  very  glad  to  hear  it,  but  wished  he  had 
been  live  miles  off,  even  if  it  had  been  in  the  very  jaws 
of  the  Fourth  Alabama. 

"You  don't  look  a  bit  like  your  photograph,"  -con- 
tinued Sue,  gazing  with  admiration  at  the  face  of  the 
young  man  ;  for  which  those  who  ever  saw  Lieutenant 
Somers  will  cheerfully  pardon  her. 

"Do  you  think  so?" 

"  I'm  sure  you  don't." 

"  That's  very  strange :  everybody,  who  has  seen  my 
photograph,  says  it  looks  exactly  like  mc." 

"  I  don't  think  so." 

"  I  gave  one  to  a  young  lady  of  my  acquaintance,  who 
said  it  was  perfect." 

"  Indeed  !     Who  was  she  ?  " 

"  She  is  a  young  lady  whom  I  have  met  only  two  or 
three  times." 

"  What  is  her  name?  " 

"  Lilian  Ashford." 

"  What  a  pretty  name  !  "  said  Sue,  endeavoring  to  be 
magnanimous ;  though  it  was  evident  that  she  was 
troubled  by  the  honest  avowal  of  the  young  soldier. 
"Where  does  she  live?" 

"  She  is  at  the  North  now,"  answered  Somers,  who 
could  not  bear  to  tell  a  lie  when  there  was  no  need  of 
such  a  sacrifice. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.         125 

He  was  becomiug  very  uneasy  under  this  rigid  cate- 
chising, and  hoped  she  would  not  ask  any  more  questions 
about  Lilian  Ashfbrd.  He  had  mentioned  her  name  with 
the  liopc  that  it  might  produce  a  coldness  on  her  part 
whicli  would  aftbrd  him  some  advantage.  She  did  not, 
however,  seem  to  be  annihilated  by  the  prospect  of  a 
rival,  and  was  proceeding  to  interrogate  him  still  further 
in  regard  to  the  lady,  with  whom  he  was  apparently  inti- 
mate enough  to  present  her  his  photograph  ;  when  Mr. 
llaynes  reminded  her  that  they  were  standing  in  the  road, 
and  had  better  go  into  the  house. 

"  Now,  Mr.  Raynes,  as  I  have  seen  Sue,  and  Sue  has 
seen  me,  I  think  I  had  better  hasten  to  my  regiment," 
suggested  Somers. 

*'  Not  yet,  Allan,"  replied  the  old  man. 

"  Do  you  wish  to  run  away,  and  leave  me  so  soon,  you 
monster?"  added  Sue.  "  I  tell  you,  sir,  I  shall  not  let 
you  go  yet." 

"  But,  Sue  !  you  forget  that  I  have  just  returned  from 
the  Yankees.  I  was  furnished  with  a  pass,  to  enable  me 
to  fmd  my  regiment." 

''  You  shall  find  it  in  good  time." 

"  Come  to  the  house,  Allan  :  we  will  not  detain  you 
long,"  added  Mr.  Raynes. 

''  You  must  and  shall  come  ! "  protested  Sue,  taking 
him  by  the  arm,  and  absolutely  compelling  him  to  go,  or 
be  guilty  of  the  most  unpardonable  rudeness  to  the  fair 
Virjnnia  damsel. 


126  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  I  should  be  very  glad  to  go  with  you,  Sue,  if  my 
duty  did  not  call  me  elsewhere.  I  am  to  be  seut  off  on 
very  important  service." 

"  Again  ?  —  so  soon  ?  " 

"  This  very  day.     I  may  never  see  you  again." 

"  And  you  would  coolly  run  away  and  leave  me  with- 
out even  going  into  the  house  !  " 

"  But  my  duty,  Sue  !  " 

"  You  Avill  be  in  time  for  your  duty." 

"  I  may  be  arrested  as  a  deserter." 

"  Nonsense  !     You  have  a  pass  in  your  pocket." 

"In  spite  of  the  pass,  if  your  father  had  not  happened 
to  see  me,  I  should  have  been  arrested,  and  might  have 
spent  a  day  or  two  in  the  guard-house  before  the  case 
could  have  been  explained." 

"No  more  argument,  Allan,"  said  the  persevering 
girl.  "  Here  is  the  house  :  you  shall  go  in  and  look  at 
mother,  if  you  don't  stop  but  a  minute.  Besides,  I  want 
to  see  your  photograph  while  you  are  present ;  for  I  am 
sure  you  don't  look  any  more  like  the  picture  than  the 
picture  does  like  you." 

"  Probably  not,"  replied  Somers,  as  the  resolute  maiden 
dragged  him  into  the  house  ;  where,  without  stopping  to 
breathe,  she  presented  him  to  her  mother,  with  the 
astounding  declaration,  that  he  was  Allan  Garland." 

Mrs.  Rayues  gave  him  a  cordial  Virginia  welcome  ; 
and,  while  he  was  endeavoring^  to  make  himself  as  ajn-ee- 


TUE   AUVE^^TURES    OF  A2f  ARMY   OFFICER.         127 

able  as  possible  to  the  old  lady,  Sue  rushed  up  stairs  to 
procure  tlic  laithless  photograph.  She  returned  in  a  mo- 
ment with  the  picture  in  her  hand,  and  proceeded  at  once 
to  institute  a  comparison  between  the  shadow  and  the 
substance. 

"  Now,  stand  up  here,  sir,  and  let  me  see,"  said  she, 
as  she  playfully  whisked  hira  round  and  scrutinized  his 
features.  *'  I  told  you  it  did  not  look  like  you  ;  and  I  am 
very  sure  now  that  it  does  not." 

''  Let  me  see,"  added  Somers,  extending  his  hand  for 
the  picture. 

'^  Will  you  promise  to  give  it  back  to  me  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  will !  You  don't  imagine  I  would  be  so 
mean  as  to  confiscate  it." 

"  I  should  not  care  much  if  you  did,  now  that  I  have 
found  out  it  does  not  look  any  more  like  you  than  it  does 
like  me,"  she  answered,  handing  him  the  photograph. 

''  Where  did  you  get  this  picture,  Sue  ?  " 

"  "SVliere  did  I  get  it?  "Well,  that  is  cool !  Didn't  you 
send  it  to  me  yourself?  "  And  Sue  began  to  exhibit  some 
symptoms  of  amazement. 

"  I  am  very  sure  I  never  sent  you  this  picture,"  added 
Somers  gravely. 

"You  did  not?" 

"  Never." 

''Why,  Allan  Garland!" 

*'  This  is  not  my  picture." 


128  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  I  shouldn't  think  it  was." 

Thereupon  Mr.  RajTies  began  to  laugh  in  the  most 
immoderate  manner  ;  opening  his  mouth  wide  enough  to 
take  in  a  very  small  load  of  hay,  and  shaking  his  sides 
in  the  most  extraordinary  style. 

"What  are  you  laughing  at,  pa?"  demanded  Sue, 
blushing  up  to  the  eyes,  as  though  she  already  felt  the 
force  of  some  keenly  satirical  remark  which  was  strug- 
gling for  expression  in  the  mouth  of  the  farmer. 

*'  To  think  you  have  been  looking  at  that  picture 
three  times  a  day  for  a  year,  studying,  gazing  at  it  ; 
kissing  it,  for  aught  I  know ;  and  then  to  find  out  that  it 
is  not  Allan  after  all ! "  roared  the  Virginia  farmer  be- 
tween the  outbreaks  of  his  mirth.  "  I  haven't  done  any 
thing  but  groan  since  the  war  began,  and  it  does  me  good 
to  laugh.  I  haven't  had  a  jolly  time  before  since  the 
battle  of  Bull  Run,  as  the  Yankees  call  it." 

*'  You  are  the  most  absurd  pa  in  Virginia.  I  didn't 
look  at  it  three  times  a  day  ;  I  never  studied  it ;  and  I'm 
sure  I  never  kissed  it.  Ko  Avonder  Allan  wants  to  get 
away,  when  he  finds  v/hat  an  absurd  girl  you  make  me 
out  to  be.    You  think  I'm  a  fool,  don't  you,  Allan?" 

"  I  do  not,  by  any  means.  I'm  sure,  if  I  had  your 
picture,  I  shouldn't  have  been  ashamed  to  look  at  it 
three  times  a  day,"  replied  Soraers,  gallantly  coming  to 
the  rescue  of  the  maiden.  "  But,  really,  my  Virginia 
patriarch,"  —  he   added,  using   an  expression  which  he 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AltMY   OFFICER.         129 

luid  foiiiul  ill  the  correspondence  in  liis  pocket,  —  "I 
must  tear  myself  away." 

''  You  seem  to  be  glad  enough  to  go,"  pouted  Sue. 

"  Sorry  to  go,  but  compelled  by  the  duty  I  owe  my 
country  to  leave  you." 

"When  will  you  come  again?" 

"  Of  course,  that  question  I  cannot  answer.  I  may 
never  see  you  again.  This  is  a  terrible  war,  and  we 
cannot  tell  what  a  day  may  bring  forth,"  replied  Somers 
solemnly  ;  and  the  thought  was  all  the  more  solemn  when 
he  thought  of  the  cold  corpse  of  the  son  and  brother  con- 
cealed in  the  mire  of  the  swamp. 

lie  had  seen  the  old  man  laugh  as  none  but  a  happy 
man  can  ;  and  he  could  not  help  feeling  what  a  terrible 
revulsion  a  few  words  from  him  might  cause.  He  had 
watched  the  playful  manner  of  Sue,  and  had  joined  in 
the  gay  raillery  of  the  moment.  A  word  from  him  would 
crush  her  spirit,  and  bow  that  loving  mot]ier  to  the 
ground.  The  scene  had  not  been  one  of  his  own 
choosing  ;  and  he  would  gladly  escape  the  necessity  of 
dissembling  before  those  affectionate  hearts. 

"We  are  on  the  eve  of  a  terrible  battle,"  added  the  old 
man  very  gravely.  "Hundreds  of  our  poor  boys  went 
down  yesterday,  never  to  rise  again.  We  tremble  when 
w^e  think  of  you  in  the  field.  I  may  never  see  my  son 
again ;  for  the  issue  of  the  war  may  depend  on  the 
battles  of  the  next  few  days." 


130  THE    rOUXG    LIEUTENANT;    OU, 

"  Wliat  tlo  you  mean  ?  " 

Mr.  Raynes  seemed  to  know  more  tlian  he  had  dared 
to  speak  ;   and  Somers  was  full  of  interest. 

''  The  Yankees,  who  expect  to  go  into  Richmond,  will 
be  driven  do^\^l  the  Peninsula,  where  they  came  up,  like 
flying  sheep,  within  a  week.  I  have  lieard  a  few  words, 
which  satisfies  me  tliat  great  events  are  coming." 

Though  it  was  not  supposable  that  the  people  in  the 
vicinity  of  Richmond  knew  the  plans  of  General  Lee, 
from  what  he  had  seen,  and  from  what  he  had  heard  from 
men  in  power,  he  had  formed  a  very  correct  idea  of  the 
intended  operations  of  the  rebel  chief;  and  he  stated  his 
views  very  clearly  to  Somers.  While  he  was  listening  to 
the  old  man's  theory,  Mrs.  Raynes  liad  spread  her  table, 
and  placed  upon  it  such  food  as  was  available  for  a  hasty 
lunch.  She  insisted  that  he  should  partake  ;  and,  while 
he  enjoyed  the  welcome  refreshment,  Mr.  Raynes  told 
him  everytjiing  about  the  movements  of  the  Confederate 
army  in  the  vicinity,  with  full  particulars  of  the  battle 
of  the  preceding  day.  "While  the  scout  was  thus  answer- 
ing the  ends  of  his  mission,  he  was  in  no  hurry  to 
depart. 

General  McClellan's  "  change  of  base  "  was  not  sus- 
pected \>Y  the  rebels  at  this  time.  It  was  their  purpose 
to  flank  the  Union  army  on  the  right  and  left,  and  destroy 
it  eifectually.  The  dispositions  had  been  made  for  this 
purpose  ;  and,  as  Mr.  Raynes  Avas  a  man  of  influence  and 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         131 

intelligence,  his  information  ^\■as  as  reliable  as  could  be 
deduced  from  the  preliminary  movements  of  the  rebel 
army.  He  \vas  confident  of  success.  The  execution  of 
the  plan  had  already  been  commenced,  and  the  right  of 
the  Union  line  was  in  the  act  of  falling  back. 

He  expatiated  upon  the  perils  of  the  campaign,  and 
the  terrible  fighting  which  was  to  be  expected  ;  and  mani- 
fested the  utmost  solicitude  for  the  safety  of  his  son,  and 
hardly  less  for  his  guest. 

Somers  prolonged  his  repast,  that  the  old  man  might 
leave  nothing  unsaid  that  would  be  important  for  the 
Union  generals  to  know.  Sue  occasionally  joined  in  the 
conversation  ;  but  she  was  quite  serious  now,  as  she  con- 
templated the  perils  to  which  her  brother  and  her  friend 
from  Alabama  must  be  subjected. 

"Do  you  know  where  General  Jackson  is  now?" 
asked  Somers. 

"  I  don't  know  exactly  where  lie  is  ;  but  I  know  what 
part  he  has  to  play  in  the  great  drama.  The  last  we 
heard  of  him  was,  that  he  was  watching  McDowell,  near 
Fredericksburg.  If  McDowell  keeps  quiet,  Jackson  will 
rush  down  on  the  left  flank  of  the  Yankees,  and  cut  off 
their  retreat." 

"  Are  you  sure?" 

"  I  am  very  sure.     I  can  tell  you  why." 
Before  he  had  time  to  tell  him  why,  a  knock  at  the 
iloor  disturbed  the  conference  ;  and  a  young  man,  in  a 
tattered  rebel  uniform,  was  ushered  inlo  the  room. 


132  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XII. 

THE    DIGNIFIED    TOUNG    REBEL. 

flEUTENANT  SOMERS,  who  had  been  very 
nervous  and  uneasy  before,  was  exceedingly  an- 
noyed by  the  appearance  of  another  actor  on  the 
stage.  He  had  become  in  some  slight  degree 
familiarized  with  the  awkwardness  of  his' situation  ;  for 
the  fact,  that  no  suspicion  had  yet  been  cast  upon  his 
identity,  was  encouraging,  and  he  began  to  have  some 
confidence  in  his  position,  open  as  it  was  to  an  assault 
from  any  direction.  The  advent  of  the  tattered  stranger 
was  a  new  cause  for  alarm,  and  he  at  once  became  very 
anxious  to  beat  a  retreat. 

There  is  no  night  without  some  ray  of  light  to  gladden 
it.  His  first  impression  was  that  the  visitor  belonged  to 
the  Fourth  Alabama,  and  would  readily  recognize  him  as 
an  impostor  ;  but  he  was  in  a  measure  relieved  to  find 
that  none  of  the  family  gave  the  soldier  more  than  a 
friendly  greeting,  which  proved  him  to  be  a  stranger  to 
them  as  well  as  to  himself.  Yet  he  might  belong  to  the 
Fourth  Alabama  ;  and  then  it  occurred  to  him  that  the 


THE   ADVENTUIIES   OF  AX  AliMY   OFFICER.         133 

iiuiii  had  come  to  iuform  Mr.  Rayncs  of  the  death  of  his 
son  Avhile  on  picket  duty. 

In  the  brief  period  -which  elapsed  between  the  advent 
of  the  stranger,  and  the  statement  of  the  object  of  his 
visit,  fSomers  was  disturbed  by  a  dozen  fearful  theories  ; 
all  of  which  seemed  to  end  in  a  rebel  prison  at  Rich- 
mond, and  even  in  a  rebel  gallows,  —  the  fate  of  the  spy. 
The  minutes  were  fearfully  long ;  and,  before  the  mo- 
mentous question  of  the  object  of  the  stranger's  visit 
could  be  introduced,  he  decided  to  make  an  abrupt 
retreat. 

*'  AVcll,  Mr.  Raynes,"  said  he,  approaching  the  old 
man  as  he  put  on  his  cap,  ''  I  have  already  run  a  great 
risk  in  stopping  here  so  long ;  and,  with  many  thanks  to 
you  for  your  kindness  and  for  your  generous  hospitality, 
I  must  take  my  departure." 

"  I  suppose  we  cannot  keep  you  any  longer,  Allan  ; 
but  you  must  promise  to  call  again  at  the  first  convenient 
opportunity." 

'•'  I  promise  you  that  I  will  the  first  time  I  can  safely 
do  so,"  responded  Somers  Avarmly,  and  with  the  fullest 
intention  of  redeeming  his  promise.     "  Good-by,  sir  !" 

''  Good-by,  my  dear  boy  !  May  you  be  spared  in  the 
hour  when  the  strong  men  bite  the  dust ! "  said  Mr. 
Raynes  solemnly,  as  he  gave  his  hand  to  Somers. 

"  Good-by,  Sue  !  "  added  the  young  lieutenant,  taking 
the  hand  of  the  Virginia  damsel. 


134  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OH, 

"Adieu,  my  brave  soldier-boy  !  "  she  replied. 

"  You  arc  a  soldier,  I  see,"  said  the  stranger,  as 
Somers  approached  him  oq  his  way  out  of  the  house. 

"  Yes,  sir,"  answered  the  latter  nervously ;  for  he 
would  gladly  have  escaped  any  communication  with  the 
new-comer. 

"What  regiment  do  you  belong  to?"  persisted  the 
dilapidated  soldier. 

What  business  was  that  to  him?  Why  should  lie 
trouble  himself  about  other  people's  affairs?  It  sounded 
like  a  very  impertinent  question  to  the  excited  lieutenant, 
and  he  Avas  tempted  to  inform  the  busy-body  that  it  was 
none  of  his  business  ;  but,  as  he  had  already  earned  a 
good  character  for  civility  with  the  interesting  family  in 
whose  presence  he  still  stood,  his  bump  of  approbation 
would  not  permit  him  to  forfeit  their  esteem  by  so  incon- 
siderate a  reply. 

"  Good-by,  all !  "  said  he  with  energy,  turning  away 
from  the  rebel  soldier,  and  moving  towards  the  door. 

"What  regiment  did  you  say  you  belonged  to?" 
demanded  the  persistent  rebel. 

"  I  didn't  say,"  replied  Somers,  not  in  the  most  gentle 
tones. 

"  Will  you  oblige  me  by  telling  me  to  what  regiment 
you  belong?  "  added  the  rebel. 

"  I  think  I  will  not,"  continued  Somers,  more  and 
more  displeased  with  the  persistence  of  the  other.     "  I 


THE    AD  VENT U RES    UF  JN  ARMY    OFFICER.  135 

came  very  near  being  arrested  as  a  deserter  just  now, 
though  I  liave  a  pass  in  my  pocket ;  and  I  don't  care 
about  exposing  myself  to  any  further  annoyance  by  my 
ov.n  indiscretion." 

'*I  assure  you  I  am  a  friend,  and  I  Avould  not  betray 
you  if  I  knew  you  were  a  deserter,"  said  the  stranger  in 
very  civil  tones. 

Thus  appealed  to,  and  perceiving  that  he  was  not 
gaining  in  the  estimation  of  Mr.  Raynes  by  his  reticence, 
he  decided  that  he  could  not  make  the  matter  much 
worse  by  answering  the  question. 

''  To  the  Fourth  Alabama,"  he  replied  desperately  : 
"  but  you  must  excuse  me  ;  for  I  am  in  a  tremendous 
hurry." 

"  The  Fourth  Alabama  !  I  thought  so,"  exclaimed 
the  stranger  with  a  pleasant  smile,  as  though  the  in- 
formation was  particularly  agreeable  to  him.  "  I  belong 
to  the  Fourth  Alabama  myself." 

*'Do  you,  indeed?"  added  Somers  with  the  most  in- 
tense disquiet,  wishing  all  the  time  that  the  soldier  had 
been  in  Alabama,  or  anywhere  but  in  the  house  of  Mr. 
Kaynes. 

"  Can  you  tell  me  where  the  regiment  is?  " 

"  I  cannot.  I  have  been  looking  for  it  myself  for  the 
last  two  hours.  As  I  can  be  of  no  assistance  to  you, 
you  will  excuse  me  if  I  leave  you." 

"  Not  so  fast,  comrade  :   I  will  go  with  you.     I  have 


136  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

some  directions  whicli  I  think  will  enable  us  to  find  the 
regiment ;  and,  if  you  please,  I  will  bear  you  company." 

Somers  did  not  please  ;  but  he  could  hardly  refuse  the 
offer  without  exciting  the  suspicion  of  the  family,  which 
he  felt  might  be  fatal  to  him.  It  Mould  be  better  to 
depart  with  the  member  of  the  Fourth  Alabama,  and  part 
company  with  him  by  force  or  stratagem  when  they  had 
left  the  house. 

"  I  Avou't  keep  you  waiting  but  a  minute.  I  called  here 
to  see  my  friends  ;  but  none  of  them  seem  to  know  me. 
You  are  Mr.  Raynes,  I  presume?"  continued  the  soldier, 
addressing  the  old  man. 

"  I  am  ;  but  I  don't  remember  to  have  ever  seen  you 
before,"  replied  the  farmer. 

"  You  never  did,  sir  ;  but  I  will  venture  to  say  that 
my  name  is  well  known  in  this  house,"  added  the"  soldier 
with  a  mysterious  smile,  which  caused  Somers  to  dread 
some  new  development  that  would  compromise  him. 

"  Ah  !  "  said  Mr.  Raynes,  ever  ready  to  welcome  any 
one  who  had  the  slightest  claim  upon  his  hospitality. 

"  I  am  well  acquainted  with  your  son  Owen  ;  I  sup- 
pose I  shall  not  be  disputed  here,  Avhcn  I  say  that  he  is 
the  best  fellow  in  the  world.  Don't  you  know  me  now  ?  " 
demanded  the  tantalizing  rebel,,  who  appeared  to  be  very 
anxious  to  have  his  identity  made  out  in  the  natural  way, 
and  T\dthout  any  troublesome  explanations. 

»'  Really,  I  do  not,"  answered  Mr.  Raynes,  much  per- 
prexed  by  the  confident  manner  of  the  visitor. 


THE  ADVBl>TVnES   OF  AS  ARilY   OIFICJCJ^.         U7 

.^ThU  is  Sue,  I  suppose?"  pursued  the  soldier,  ad- 
vancing to  the  maiden,  and  extending  his  dirty  hand ; 
."hichrhowever,  was  not  mueh  dirtier  than  that  ^vhich 
.he  had  so  eagerly  grasped  before.  "Don't  you  know 
who  I  am,  Sue?" 

••  1  do  not,  sir,"  she  replied  rather  coldly. 

.-When  I  tell  you  that  I  belong  to  the  Fourth  Ala- 
bama, don't  you  know  me?" 

"  I  do  not,  sir." 

"And  when  I  tell  you  that  I  am  the  intimate  friend 

of  vour  brother  Owen?" 

Allan  Garland  stood  by  the  door;  and,  of  course,  it 
wvs  not  he  :  therefore  she  could  not,  by  any  possibility, 
conceive  who  he  was;  and  she  said  so,  in  terms  as  ex- 
plicit as  the  occasion  required. 

u  I  live  in  Union,  Alabama,  when  I  am  at  home.  Don't 
vou-know  me  .<om.  Sue?"  persisted  the  perplexed  visitor, 
"who,  perhaps,  began  to  think  he  had  entered  the  wrong 

""iTthe  veritable  Allan  Garland,  however  little  his 
photo.naph  resembled  him,  had  not  stood  by  the  door, 
she  would  have  been  rejoiced  to  see  him,  and  to  recog- 
uize  in  him  her  unknown  friend  and  correspondent.  As 
it  was,  she  did  not  know  him  ;  and  she  was  candid  enough 
to  express  her  conviction  without  reserve,  in  spite  of  the 
disagreeable  ellect  which  her  want  of  perception  seemed 
to  produce  upon  the  mind  of  the  stranger. 


138  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT,    OR, 

"  This  is  very  strange,"  said  tlie  soldier,  taking  off  his 
cap,  and  rubbing  his  head  to  quicken  his  faculties,  which 
seemed  to  have  led  him  into  some  unaccountable  blunder. 
"  Will  you  be  kind  enough  to  inform  me  who  lives  in 
this  house?" 

"  Mr.  Raynes,"  replied  Sue,  quite  as  much  mystified 
as  the  stranger  seemed  to  be. 

"  There  is  some  mistake  ;  but  I  can't  make  out  what 
it  is,"  said  the  stranger. 

"  I  cannot  wait  any  longer,"  said  Somers,  who  had 
been  riveted  to  the  spot  by  the  astounding  revelation  to 
Avhich  he  had  just  listened. 

He  had  been  almost  paralyzed  by  the  words  of  the 
rebel,  in  whom  he  promptly  recognized  the  young  man 
Avhose  name  and  antecedents  he  had  borrowed  for  the 
present  occasion.  His  first  impression  was  to  take  to  his 
lieels,  and  to  run  away  ;  but  a  certain  worldly  prudence 
prevented  him  from  adopting  this  doubtful  policy.  If  you 
attempt  to  run  away  from  an  angry  dog,  he  will  certainly 
bite  you  ;  whereas,  by  facing  him  boldly,  you  may  escape 
all  injury.  This  fact,  which  Somers  had  fully  exempli- 
fied in  his  own  experience  before  he  left  Pinchbrook,  was 
the  foundation  of  his  action.  Seeing  that  the  stranger 
Avas  perplexed  and  annoyed  by  the  failure  of  the  family 
to  recognize  him,  even  after  he  had  told  them  every  thing 
except  his  name,  he  decided  that  he  might  safely  retire 
under  the  plea  of  haste. 


rilE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICE li.         139 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir,  for  this  intrusion,"  said  the 
soldier,  blushing  with  mortification  as  he  retreated  a 
pace  towards  the  door.  ''  You  will  excuse  me,  Miss 
Raynes,  for  my  unwarrantable  familiarity  ;  but  I  have 
made  a  blunder,  or  you  have,"  he  added  rather  bitterly. 
'"  Perhaps,  Avhen  Owen  comes  to  introduce  me,  you  will 
know  me  better." 

*'  Owen's  friends  are  my  friends,  young  man  ;  and  you 
are  as  welcome  as  my  son  would  be,  whoever  you  are." 

"  Tliauk  you,  sir  ;  but,  with  many  regrets  for  this  in- 
trusion, I  will  take  my  leave." 

"No,  no,  my  young  friend,"  interposed  the  old  man. 
'^  You  must  not  leave  us  in  this  manner.  It  is  true,  we  do 
not  yet  recognize  you  ;  but  you  are  none  the  less  welcome 
on  that  account." 

*'  Thank  you  kindly,  sir.  I  have  deceived  myself 
into  the  belief  that  I  was  better  known  here  than  I  find 
I  am.  It  was  weak  in  me  to  thrust  myself  across  your 
threshold  without  an  introduction  ;  and,  if  you  will  par- 
don me,  I  will  leave  you,  with  the  promise  to  come  again 
with  Owen." 

"  Not  yet,  sir  ;  at  least,  not  till  you  have  told  us  who 
you  are." 

"  Excuse  me  ;  but  I  must  go  now,"  replied  the  young 
rebel  with  an  exhibition  of  gentle  dignity,  which  quite 
won  the  heart  of  Somers,  as  it  it  did  that  of  the  family. 

"Pray,  give   me   your  name,    sir,"  interposed    Sue, 


140  .  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT,     OR, 

whose  woman's  curiosity  could  no  longer  endure  the 
silence  which  maidenly  reserve  had  imposed  upon  her, 
especially  as  the  stranger  proposed  to  depart  without 
solving  the  mystery. 

"  You  will  excuse  me,  Miss  Raynes,  if  I  decline  for  the 
present.  My  comrade  is  in  a  desperate  hurry,  and  it  is 
not  reasonable  for  me  to  detain  him  any  longer." 

"  But,  young  man,  you  wrong  me,  you  wrong  my 
daughter,  and,  above  all,  you  wrong  my  son,  who  is  your 
friend,  by  leaving  in  this  manner,"  said  Mr,  Raynes 
earnestly.  "  You  actually  charge  us  with  a  want  of  hos- 
pitality by  this  abrupt  Avithdrawal." 

"  You  will  pardon  me,  sir,  for  saying  it  ,•  but  after  the 
description  I  have  given  of  myself,  if  you  do  not  know 
me,  I  am  compelled  to  believe  that  it  is  because  you  do 
not  wish  to  know  me." 

"  That  is  very  unjust,  and  we  do  not  comprehend  the 
force  of  the  remark." 

"  TVhy,  sir,  I  have  written  to  you,  and  to  your 
daughter,  and  your  daughter  has  written  to  me  ;  and 
now  you  seem  never  to  have  heard  of  me.  I  have  told 
you  that  I  reside  in  Union,  Alabama ;  and  that  I  am  a 
friend  of  Owen." 

"  We  know  a  young  man  from  that  town  very  well, 
though  we  never  saw  him.  His  name  is  Allan  Garland ; 
but  it  is  impossible  that  you  should  be  the  person." 

"  I  must  go,  comrade,"  said  Somers  desperately,  as  he 
rushed  out  of  the  door. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         141 

"  Wait  a  moment !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Raynes,  grasping 
him  ])}'  the  arm  ;  for  the  old  farmer  seemed  to  think  his 
presence  was  necessary  to  the  perfect  unravelling  of  the 
mystery.  "  It  seems  to  me  you  ought  to  know  this  young 
man,  if  none  of  us  do." 

"  I  do  not,  Mr.  Raynes ;  never  saw  him  before  in 
my  life,"  protested  Somers,  feeling  very  much  like  a 
condemned  criminal. 

"  My  name  is  Allan  Garland,"  quietly  continued  the 
dignified  young  rebel.  "I  am,  undoubtedly,  the  person 
to  Avhom  you  allude." 

''  Impossible  !  "  exclaimed  Mr.  Raynes,  still  holding 
Somers's  arm  with  the  grasp  of  a  vice. 

*'  Impossible  ! "  almost  shouted  the  fair  Sue,  more 
excited  than  she  would  have  been,  if,  through  patient 
reading,  she  had  arrived  at  the  last  chapter  of  a  sensa- 
tion novel,  where  the  pin  is  pulled  out,  and  all  the 
villains  tumble  down  to  perdition,  and  all  the  angels 
stumble  upon  their  apotheosis. 

"  Impossible  !  "  chimed  in  Mrs.  Raynes,  who  had  pre- 
served a  most  remarkable  silence,  for  a  woman,  durin"* 
the  exciting  incidents  we  have  transcribed. 

*'MayI  be  allowed  to  inquire  why  you  think  it  is  im- 
possible?" calmly  demanded  the  gentle  rebel,  who,  in 
his  turn,  was  amazed  at  the  singular  course  of  events. 

Sue  did  not  know  what  else  to  do  :  so  she  sat  down  in 
a  chair,  and  laughed  with  hysterical  vehemence  at  the 


142  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

Strange  aspect  of  the  affair.  The  old  man  opened  liis 
eyes,  and  opened  his  mouth  :  but  he  did  not  forget  to  liold 
on  with  all  his  might  to  the  arm  of  the  imfortimate  lieu- 
tenant, who  was  just  then  picturing  to  himself  the  in- 
terior of  a  rebel  dungeon  ;  which  view  suddenly  dissolved 
into  an  indistinct  representation  of  a  tree,  from  a  stout 
limb  of  which  was  suspended  a  rope,  hanging  down  over 
a  cart,  —  these  latter  appurtenances  being  symbolical  of 
the  usual  rebel  method  of  hanging  a  spy. 

The  affair,  which  had  been  growing  desperate  for 
some  time,  had  now  actually  become  so  to  poor  Somers. 
He  placed  his  hand  upon  his  revolver,  in  the  breast- 
pocket of  his  coat ;  but  some  prudential  considerations 
interposed  to  prevent  him  from  using  it.  The  house  was 
on  a  line  of  rebel  sentinels.  AVhole  divisions  of  Con- 
federate infantry,  artillery,  and  cavalry,  were  encamped 
around  him,  and  any  violent  movement  on  his  part  would 
have  been  sure  to  result  in  an  ignominious  disaster.  The 
doughty  old  farmer,  who  was  not  less  than  six  feet  three 
in  his  stocking  feet,  held  on  to  him  as  a  drowning  man 
clings  to  a  floating  spar.  It  was  not  possible  to  get  away 
without  resorting  to  violence  ;  and  if  he  offered  any  re- 
sistance to  what,  just  then,  looked  like  manifest  destiny, 
the  rebel  soldier  would  become  an  ally  of  the  farmer,  and 
the  Avomen  could  call  in  the  sentinels,  if  uothiug  more. 

"  Really,  Mr.  Raynes,  you  are  very  unkind  to  detain 
me,  when  I  tell  you  that  my  leave  has  nearly  expired," 


THE   ADVFXTUREf^    OF   AX  ARMY   OFFICEIi.  143 

said  Soraers,  wlien  he  liad  fully  measured  the  situation  ; 
which,  however,  was  done  in  a  tithe  of  the  time  which 
we  have  taken  to  transcribe  it. 

*'  Young  man,  there  is  some  mistake,^'  said  ]Mr.  Raynes, 
placing  a  wicked  emphasis  on  the  Avord,  which  Avent  to 
the  very  core  of  the  scout's  lieart.  "  This  man  says  he 
is  Allan  Garland,  and  you  say  you  are  Allan  Garland. 
One  of  you  is  an  impostor.  Neither  of  you  shall  go  till 
we  determine  which  is  the  one.  Sue,  bring  out  your 
photograph  again." 

"  Oh,  dear  !  "  gasped  Somers,  as,  in  a  fit  of  momen- 
tary despondency,  he  gave  himself  up  for  lost,  when  the 
maiden  Avent  for  the  picture. 


144 


THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 


CHAPTER   Xni. 


AN    UNEXPECTED    ARRIVAL. 


ISS  SUE  liastened  to  procure  the  photo- 
graph, Avhich  she  had  placed  in  lier  mother's 
room  after  it  had  been  fully  discussed  by 
herself  and  the  supposed  original.  At  the 
same  time,  her  father  conducted  Somers  into  the  room 
again  ;  and,  being  fully  conscious  of  his  desire  to  get 
away,  he  kept  a  watchful  eye  upon  him,  though  he 
removed  his  grasp  from  the  arm.  The  rebel  soldier 
looked  on  in  utter  amazement  at  the  singular  proceed- 
ings of  all  the  party,  and  seemed  utterly  unable  to 
comprehend  the  meaning  of  them. 

"  Here  is  the  picture,"  said  Sue,"  returning  with  the 
photograph  in  her  hand  ;  "  but  I  don't  see  that  it  looks 
any  more  like  you  than  it  does  like  the  other  gentle- 
man : "  and  she  proceeded  to  institute  a  comparison 
between  the  new  claimant  and  the  picture. 

Somers  began  to  cherish  a  faint  hope  again,  and  to  be 
very  grateful  for  the  general  truth,  that  photographs  do 
not  always  look  like  the  originals.    This  encouragement, 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         145 

slight  US  it  was,  gave  our  hero  a  new  iuspiratiou,  aud  in 
a  measure  restored  his  impudence  ;  which,  under  the 
pressure  of  circumstances,  had  begun  to  give  way. 

*'  I  am  sure  it  does  not  look  at  all  like  you,"  continued 
Sue,  after  she  had  patiently  balanced  all  the  points  of 
resemblance,  and  all  the  points  of  disagreement. 

"  You  should  remember  that  the  picture  was  taken 
more  than  a  year  ago  ;  and  that  I  have  been  an  in- 
valid for  ten  months  of  the  time,"  suggested  the  rebel 
soldier. 

"That  may  be  ;  but  I  am  sure  this  picture  could  never 
have  been  taken  for  you." 

"  Let  me  see  it,  if  you  please?" 

Sue  handed  him  the  card,  and  he  glanced  at  it  with  an 
expression  of  gi'eat  curiosity. 

"Where  did  you  get  this  picture?"  demanded  he. 

"  It  was  sent  to  me  by  the  original,"  replied  she. 

"  This  is  not  my  picture." 

"  That  is  just  Avhat  the  other  gentleman  said  ;  and  I 
am  perfectly  willing  to  believe  both  of  you." 

"  But  I  sent  you  a  picture  of  myself,  though  this  is 
not  the  one." 

"  Well,  that  is  very  singular." 

"  If  you  will  remember,  there  were  two  in  the  same 
letter :  the  other  Avas  a  young  man  whom  Owen  was 
acquainted  with,  and  who  desired  something  to  remember 
him  by.     He  is  in  a  Mississippi  regiment  now." 

10 


146  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"Dear  me  !  what  a  blunder  !  "  exclaimed  Sue,  laughing 
heartily.  "I  am  sure  I  took  the  best  looking  of  the  two 
for  Allan  Garland's." 

"  Perhaps  that  is  not  very  complimentary  to  me  ;  but 
where  is  the  other  picture  ?  " 

"  I  put  it  in  Owen's  room.  I  told  him  what  I  had 
done  with  the  two  pictures  ;  but  he  has  been  at  home  so 
little,  that  I  suppose  he  never  looked  at  them.  I  will  get 
the  other." 

*' AYe  are  beginning  to  get  a  little  light  on  the  subject," 
said  Mr.  Raynes,  when  his  daughter  had  left  the  room. 

"  And  I  think  you  Avill  let  a  little  light  through  my 
body  with  a  bullet-hole,"  added  Somers,  whose  last  hope 
was  gone  again,  though  his  impudence  still  remained. 

"Be  patient,  young  man:  we  shall  soon  see  the 
mystery  explained,  and  be  able  to  inform  you  w^hether 
you  are  'Allan  Garland  or  not." 

'"I  am  sorry  to  put  you  to  so  much  trouble,  Mr. 
Raynes  ;  but  you  will  remember  that  I  was  very  much 
opposed  to  coming  into  your  house  at  all ;  that  I  was 
literally  dragged  in  by  yourself  and  your  daughter." 

"  And  you  will  also  remember  that  I  saved  you  from 
arrest,  when  you  gave  your  name  as  Allan  Garland,  of 
the  Fourth  Alabama.  I  think  I  have  imparted  to  you 
some  very  valuable  information  ;  and  I  intend  to  see 
what  use  is  to  be  made  of  it,  before  I  take  my  eyes 
off  you." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICER.         147 

''  You  arc  very  affectionate,  Mr.  Raynes  ;  and,  in  be- 
half of  the  great  Southern  Confederacy,  I  thank  you  for 
the  zeal  and  loyalty  which  you  have  displayed,"  replied 
Somers  boldly  ;  for  it  was  plain  that'  nothing  but  the 
most  brazen  impudence  could  save  him. 

"  You  are  a  bold  youth,  and  it  is  plain  that  you  have 
brilliant  talents  ;  I  hope  they  have  not  been  abused." 

"  They  have  been,  and  will  continue  to  be,  used  in  the 
service  of  my  suffering  country." 

"  I  like  you,  and  I  hope  every  thing  is  all  right  about 
you ;  but  I  cannot  see  your  object  in  coming  here  under 
an  assumed  name." 

''  Then  you  have  decided  the  case  against  me,  —  have 
you?"  said  Somers,  glancing  at  the  rival  Allan. 

"  Perhaps  I  was  a  little  too  fast,"  added  the  old  man, 
mortified  to  find  that  his  character  for  strict  justice  had 
been  compromised  by  this  hasty  avowal. 

Sue  was  absent  a  long  time  ;  and  it  was  clear  that  the 
photograph  had  been  mislaid.  Somers  was  in  hopes  she 
would  not  be  able  to  find  it ;  though  he  had  but  a  meagre 
expectation  of  overthrowing  the  claims  of  his  rival  to  the 
name  of  Allan  Garland.  It  was  a  hot  day,  and  the 
Avindows  of  the  house  were  all  open.  His  legs  seemed  to 
promise  the  only  satisfactory  solution  to  the  problem ; 
and  while  he  was  considering  the  propriety  of  jumping 
out  through  one  of  the  open  windows,  and  trusting  to 
them  for  safety,  Sue  returned  with  the  photograph. 


148  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  This  looks  more  like  you  than  the  other  ;  and  more 
like  you  than  it  does  like  the  other  gentleman,"  said 
Sue. 

The  rebel  soldier  took  the  card,  and  acknowledged  that 
it  was  his  photograph  ;  at  the  same  time,  he  was  com- 
pelled to  allow  that  it  was  but  an  indifferent  likeness  of 
himself.  His  hard  service  in  the  army  had  chaniG^ed  his 
appearance  much.  Sue  gazed  at  the  picture,  and  at  the 
original,  and  her  father  did  tlie  same  ;  but  both  of  them 
were  in  doubt. 

"  There,  sir !  I  have  waited  patiently  for  you  to  act 
out  this  farce,"  said  Somers,  in  deep  disgust  apparently. 
"You  have  looked  at  the  pictures,  and  you  are  not  satis- 
fied yet.  I  can  stand  it  no  longer  ;  I  am  tired  of  the 
whole  thing.  You  have  treated  me  very  handsomely, 
and  I  am  grateful  to  you  for  your  kindness  to  me  ;  but  I 
cannot  and  will  not  remain  any  longer." 

Somers  spoke  decidedly,  and  was  fully  resolved  to  use 
his  pistol,  if  occasion  required.  He  was  not  willing  to 
remain  for  a  decision  to  be  made  between  him  and  the 
other  claimant. 

"  I  Avill  go  with  you,  brother  Allan  Garland,"  said  the 
rebel  soldier  facetiously ;  "I  think,  between  us,  we  can 
readily  decide  which  is  the  right  man." 

"  I  am  ready." 

"  But  we  desire  to  he  satisfied,  especially  in  regard  to 
this  young  man,  who  was  suspected  of  being  a  deserter, 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         149 

and  for  whom  I  feel  that  I  am  responsible,"  said  Mr. 
Raynes. 

*'  I  can  do  nothing  for  you,  sir,"  replied  Somers. 

"  But  I  can  do  something  for  you ;  and  I  propose  to 
take  you  to  the  sergeant  where  I  found  you,  and  let 
the  military  authorities  decide,"  continued  the  old  man, 
whose  ire  was  roused,  as  he  moved  towards  the  impudent 
young  man. 

"  I  propose  that  you  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind," 
answered  Somers,  drawing  the  pistol,  and  cocking  it 
for  use. 

"  Don't,  father,  don't ! "  exclaimed  Sue,  rushing  be- 
tween Mr.  Ra}Ties  and  the  active  youth,  pale  with 
terror. 

Somers  would  have  been  very  unwilling  to  use  his 
weapon  on  the  old  man.  He  pitied  him,  and  could  not 
help  thinking  of  the  terrible  blow  which  Avas  in  store  for 
liim  when  he  should  hear  that  his  only  son  had  been 
killed.  lie  hoped  that  something  would  interpose  to 
prevent  any  violence,  and  he  expected  much  from  the 
gentle  dignity  of  the  young  rebel. 

"•  I  am  sorry  that  you  compel  me  to  draw  this  pistol," 
added  Somers  ;  *'  yet  nothing  but  the  duty  I  owe  to  my- 
self and  my  country  would  permit  me  to  use  it  upon 
those  who  have  treated  me  so  kindly." 

"  I  will  be  responsible  for  him,"  said  Allan  Garland, — 
the  real  one  ;  for  there  could  be  no  doubt  that  he  was 
what  ho  rlaimod. 


150  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  You  shall  not  go  near  him,  fatlicr !  Pie  will  kill 
you  !  "  cried  Sue,  terrified,  as  her  father  attempted  to 
push  her  aside,  and  advance  upon  the  armed  young 
man. 

"Come!  brother  Allan,"  said  the  soldier:  "we  can 
best  end  this  scene  by  leaving  the  house." 

As  they  approached  the  door,  a  hand  was  placed  on 
the  handle  outside  ;  but  the  old  man  had  taken  the  pre- 
caution to  fasten  it,  in  order  to  insure  the  safety  of  his 
prisoner.     A  heavy  knock  succeeded. 

"Who  is  that?"  gasped  Sue,  afraid  that  any  new 
comer  would  only  complicate  the  difficulties  of  the  mo- 
ment, and  that  the  bold  youth  would  be  compelled  to  use 
his  pistol. 

"  Perhaps  it  is  Owen,"  replied  the  old  man,  a  little 
calmer  than  before. 

"  I  hope  it  is." 

The  words  caused  a  shudder  through  the  frame  of 
Somers,  as  he  again  thought  of  Owen  Raynes,  cold  and 
dead  in  his  oozy  grave  in  the  swamp. 

"  Open  the  door,"  said  a  voice  from  without. 

Allan  Garland  drew  the  bolt,  and  threw  the  door  wide 
open. 

"Why,  Allan,  my  dear  fellow!"  exclaimed  a  young 
man  who  stood  at  the  outside  of  the  door  in  his  shirt 
sleeves,  as  he  grasped  both  of  the  rebel  soldier's  hands, 
and  proceeded  to  make  a  most  extravagant  demonstration 
of  rejoicing.     "  I  am  glad  to  see  you  !  " 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AJiMY   OFFICER.         151 

*'  OvN'cn,  my  dear  boy  !  "  replied  Allan  Garland;  as  he 
returned  with  equal  warmth  the  salutation  of  the  new- 
comer 

"  AVhere  did  you  come  from,  Allan?     I  had  given  you 

up  for  lost." 

"  I  escaped  from  the  Yankees  the  next  day  after  I 
was  taken,  and  have  been  beating  about  the  woods  ever 
since." 

Somers  was  thrown  all  aback  by  this  arrival,  which 
was  certainly  the  most  remarkable  one  that  had  taken 
place  during  the  day.  He  couldn't  help  feeling  very 
much  like  the  hero  of  a  sensation  novel ;  and  realized  the 
very  original  idea  that  truth  is  stranger  than  fiction.  He 
could  not  exactly  account  for  the  presence  of  Owen 
RajTies,  whom  he  had  satisfactorily  buried  in  the  swamp, 
and  whose  clothes  he  had  the  honor  to  wear  at  that 
moment.  He  did  not  believe  in  things  supernatural,  and 
it  never  occurred  to  him  that  the  form  before  him  might 
be  the  ghost  of  Owen. 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  come  just  as  you  did,  Owen," 
said  Mr.  Raynes. 

"  So  am  I ;  otherwise  I  might  not  have  met  Allan. 
But  who  is  this?"  he  added,  glancing  at  Somers. 

'-  Your  most  obedient  servant,"  replied  Somers,  trying 
to  pass  him  in  the  narrow  entry. 

*'  Stop,  young  man  !  "  shouted  the  old  man.  "  Don't 
let  him  go,  Owen  !  " 


152  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"Who  is  he?" 

"His  name  is  Allan  Garland,  of  Union,  Alabama  ;  and 
he  is  a  private  in  the  Fonrth  Alabama,"  replied  Allan 
with  a  smile,  as  Owen  placed  himself  between  Somers 
and  the  door. 

"What!" 

Mr.  Raynes,  being  the  oldest  man  present,  was  entitled 
to  the  position  of  spokesman  ;  and  he  made  a  very  prolix 
statement  of  all  the  events  Avhich  had  transpired  since  he 
first  saw  the  pretended  Allan  Garland. 

Owen  Raynes  was  a  very  good-natnred  young  man, 
and  the  recital  of  the  affair  amused  him  exceedingly. 
He  did  not  fly  into  a  passion,  being  a  very  amiable  and 
reasonable  rebel ;  and  seemed  to  regard  the  whole  thing 
as  a  stupendous  joke. 

"Then  your  name  is  Allan  Garland,  is  it?"  demanded 
he,  with  a  broad  laugh  still  playing  on  his  lips. 

"  That  is  my  name  at  present,"  replied  Somers. 

"  But  have  you  no  other  name  ?  " 

"  None  worth  mentioning." 

"  Good  !     To  what  regiment  do  you  belong?  " 

"  To  the  Fourth  Alabama,  Colonel  Jones  ;  but  I  have 
already  told  your  respected  father  all  the  facts  relating  to 
myself,  and  some  relating  to  you." 

"Say,  is  this  a  joke,  a  sell?"  demanded  Owen. 

"  I  suppose  that  would  be  a  very  proper  interpretation 
to  put  upon  it." 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICER.  153 

"You  seem  to  bo  a  good  fello-\v,  aud  deal  in  four-pylla- 
blc  words." 

"  Now,  as  you  seem  to  liavc  the  best  of  the  joke,  I 
hope  you  will  not  detain  me  any  longer.  I  have  a  pass 
in  my  pocket  to  prove  that  I  am  all  right :  and,  as  I  am 
in  a  great  hurry,  I  must  move  on." 

"Not  till  you  explain  the  joke.  Eli?  AVhat's  this? 
Where  did  you  get  this  coat?"  said  Owen,  glancing  at 
the  garment  which  Somers  wore. 

"  This  is  the  key  to  the  joke." 

"  Tlie  key  to  it !  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  this  is  my 
coat,"  replied  Owen,  as  he  felt  of  the  garment,  and 
turned  up  the  lappel. 

"  May  I  be  allowed  to  inquire  where  you  left  your 
coat  ? "  asked  Somers,  Avho  was  quite  curious  to  know 
how  Owen  Raynes  happened  to  be  alive  just  at  that 
moment. 

"  Certainly  you  may  ;  but  first  let  me  ask  where  you 
found  it." 

"  Over  by  the  picket-line  beyond  the  hill,"  replied 
Somers. 

"Just  so.  A  young  fellow  in  a  Mississippi  regiment, 
encamped  next  to  ours,  borrowed  it  of  me  last  night, 
when  he  was  detailed  for  picket-duty.  The  poor  fellow 
had  no  coat,  and  picket-duty  is  rather  steep  at  night  when 
a  man  has  no  clothes.  He  is  a  good  fellow,  in  poor 
health  ;  and  I  lent  him  mine." 


154  THE    YOUNG   LTEUTEKANT ;    OR, 

"  The  nights  are  cool,  but  the  days  are  liot,  added 
Somers.  "  He  took  it  olT,  and  left  it  on  the  edge  of  the 
woods.  -Nvherc  I  found  it.  I  didn't  know  that  it  belonged 
to  anybody.  I  found  some  papers  and  a  diary  in  the 
pocket  "  — 

"Did  I  leave  my  papers  in  the  pocket  ?  Well,  that  was 
stupid,"  interrupted  Owen. 

'^  I  read  tlie  papers  with  a  great  deal  of  interest.  See- 
ing frequent  allusions  in  them  to  Allan  Garland,  I  took 
the  liberty  to  appropriate  the  name  myself;  for  the  owner 
of  it  seemed  to  be  a  very  good  fellow." 

"Thank  you!"  said  Allan;  "but,  as  yon  seem  to 
have  no  further  use  for  it,  I  see  no  objection  to  your 
giving  your  own  name." 

"  On  the  contrary,  there  are  some  very  strong  objec- 
tions, and  I  must  trouble  you  for  the  use  of  your  name  an 
liour  or  two  longer." 

"  Oh,  very  well !  I  am  satisfied,"  replied  Allan. 

"  So  am  I." 

"But  I  am  not,"  interposed  Mr.  Raynes.  "I  think 
the  fellow  is  an  impostor,  if  nothing  Avorse." 

"Anything  you  please  ;  but  my  time  is  out,  and  I  must 
report  for  duty,"  replied  Somers  boldly,  as  he  took  off  the 
borrowed  coat,  and  restored  it  to  the  owner.  "I  am  v£ry 
much  obliged  to  you  for  the  use  of  this  garment.  Wlien 
we  meet  again,  I  trust  we  shall  understand  each  other 
better." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         155 

Owen  Raynes  was  an  easy-going  young  man  ;  familiar 
with  the  practical  jokes  of  the  army,  enjoying  them  with 
the  most  keenly  relish  when  no  one's  feelings  were  hurt, 
and  no  damage  was  done  to  person  or  property.  He  was 
not,  therefore,  disposed  to  put  a  serious  construction  on 
what  seemed  to  him  to  be  one  of  these  farces  ;  but  his 
father  took  an  entirely  different  view  of  the  affair.  He 
wanted  to  argue  the  question,  and  show  that  it  could  not 
be  a  joke  ;  but  Somers  was  too  impatient  to  listen  to  any 
eloquence  of  this  description. 

Sue,  who  had  now  actually  found  the  young  man  who 
had  been  indicated  as  her  "  manifest  destiny,"  was  in  no 
hurry  to  part  with  him  ;  and  when  the  father  proposed 
that  Owen  and  Allan  should  accompany  the  impostor,  as 
he  insisted  upon  calling  him,  to  the  brigade  headquarters, 
where  his  pass  was  dated,  she  decidedly  objected  to  the 
proposition.  The  earnestness  of  Mr.  Raynes,  however, 
At  last  vanquished  her  and  the  young  man  -,  and  they 
started  to  escort  our  young  lieutenant  to  the  place 
indicated. 

Now,  Somers,  being  a  modest  man,  as  we  have  always 
held  him  up  to  our  readers,  and  being  averse  to  all  the 
pomp  and  parade  of  martial  glory  in  its  application  to 
himself,  was  strongly  averse  to  an  escort.  He  preferred 
to  go  alone,  tell  his  own  story,  and  fight  his  own  battles, 
if  battles  there  were  to  be  fought.  Owen  and  Allan  were 
unutterably  affectionate.     They  received  him  into  their 


156  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

small  circle  of  fellowship,  and  stuck  to  him  like  a 
brother.  They  -were  both  good  fellows,  splendid  fellows  ; 
and,  under  ordinary  circumstances,  Somcrs  "would  have 
been  delighted  to  cultivate  their  friendship.  As  it  -vvas, 
he  ungratefully  resolved  to  give  them  the  slip  at  the  first 
convenient  opportunity. 

Unhappily  for  him,  no  opportunity  occurred,  for  his 
zealous  friends  would  not  permit  him  to  go  a  single  rod 
from  them  ;  and  Somers  had  about  made  up  his  mind  to 
trust  the  matter  to  the  judgment  of  Major  Platner, 
who  had  shown  a  remarkable  discrimination  during  the 
former  interview,  when  the  trio  came  to  a  line  of  senti- 
nels guarding  a  brigade  camp. 

"What  regiment  do  you  belong  to?"  demanded  the 
guard. 

"  Fourth  Alabama,"  replied  Owen. 

"  You  can't  pass  this  line,  then." 

"  But  I  have  a  pass,"  interposed  Somers. 

"  Show  your  pass." 

Somers  showed  the  important  document,  which  the 
sentinel,  after  a  patient  study,  succeeded  in  deciphering. 

"Your  pass  is  right,  —  pass  on;  but  you  can't  go 
through,"  he  added  to  Owen  and  Allan. 

Owen  explained. 


THE  ADVENT UliES   OF  AN  AliMY   OFFKJEll.         157 


C 


CHAPTER    XIV. 

THE    REBEL    DIVISION -GENERAL. 

'HE  sentinel  listened  very  patiently  to  the  expla- 
nation of  Owen  Raynes ;  but,  as  he  proceeded, 
the  face  of  the  soldier  relaxed  till  his  muscles 
had  contracted  into  a  broad  grin.  The  sergeant 
of  the  guard  Avas  then  sent  for,  and  the  explanation 
repeated.  At  its  conclusion,  both  the  sentinel  and  the 
sergeant  seemed  to  be  disposed  to  laugh  in  the  faces  of 
the  twin  friends,  so  keenly  were  the  former  alive  to  the 
ludicrous. 

"  That's  a  very  pretty  story,  my  men  !  You,  without 
the  pass,  are  going  to  see  that  every  thing  is  right  about 
the  man  that  has  the  pass  ;  in  other  words,  the  devils  are 
going  to  see  that  the  angels  don't  do  any  thing  wicked," 
said  the  sergeant,  laughing  at  the  awkward  position  of 
Owen  and  Allan,  and  perhaps  quite  as  much  at  the 
sharpness  of  his  own  illustration. 

''  We  are   entirely  satisfied  in  regard  to   this  young 
man,"  said  Owen  ;  "but  we  have  come  in  order  to  satisfy 
• 


158  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    Oli,     . 

another  person,  wlio  believes  that  he  is  an  impostor.  AVe 
promised  to  take  him  to  Major  PLatner." 

"  You  can't  enter  these  lines  without  a  pass,"  replied 
the  sergeant  firmly.  "  This  man  can  go  through  ;  for 
he  has  a  pass,"  he  added  to  Somers. 

"  As  I  am  all  right,  and  in  a  hurry,  I  will  proceed  to 
the  brigade  headquarters,"  said  Somers.  "  Now  good- 
by,  my  friends :  I  am  very  glad  to  have  met  you,  and 
much  obliged  to  you  for  the  trouble  you  have  taken  to 
come  so  far  with  me." 

"  You  take  it  coolly,"  laughed  Owen. 

"  Perhaps,  if  you  desire  to  go  to  the  brigade  head- 
quarters, the  sergeant  will  let  you  pass,  if  I  will  vouch 
for  you,"  continued  Somers  with  great  good  humor. 

"  We  are  not  very  particular." 

"  What  do  you  say,  sergeant?  " 

"  My  orders  are  to  permit  no  stragglers  from  other 
camps  to  pass  these  lines,  and  I  shall  obey  my  orders  to 
the  letter,"  replied  the  official,  who,  for  some  reason 
or  other,  seemed  to  be  prejudiced  against  Somers's 
friends. 

"  Stragglers  !  "  exclaimed  the  sensitive  Allan.  "  I 
think  we  have  gone  far  enoui^h." 

"  I  think  you  have,"  added  the  sergeant ;  "  and,  if 
you  don't  leave  at  once,  it  will  be  my  duty  to  ai'rest 
you." 

"  Whew  !  "  exclaimed  Owen.     "  That  would  be  carry- 


THE  liDVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.  159 

ing  the  joke  altogether  too  far.     I  think  my  j)ater  ought 
to  be  satisfied  with  what  we  have  done." 

"  Move  on,"  said  the  sergeant. 

They  did  move  on ;  and  Somers,  attended  by  the 
oificer  of  the  guard,  walked  towards  headquarters. 

"Those  are  the  coolest  fellows  that  ever  came  near  my 
lines,"  said  the  sergeant.  "  M^  without  a  pass  looking 
out  for  one  who  has  a  pass  !  " 

"  Well,  they  are  good  fellows  ;  but  I  played  a  joke 
upon  them,  Avhich  makes  them  a  little  sour  towards  me," 
replied  the  scout.     "  I  am  even  with  them  now." 

"What  was  the  joke?"  demanded  the  sergeant,  who 
was  filled  with  interest  at  the  mention  of  the  word. 

Somers  gave  him  a  modified  account  of  the  affair  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Raynes  ;  which  he  embellished  a  little 
for  the  occasion,  to  allay  any  suspicion  which  might 
arise  in  the  mind  of  the  auditor.  But  the  officer  of  the 
guard  had  no  suspicion.  Why  should  he  have  any?  for 
Somers,  armed  with  a  pass  signed  by  the  officer  of  the 
day,  was  walking  as  directly  as  he  could  towards  the 
headquarters.  Tlie  sergeant  of  the  guard  left  him  when 
they  reached  the  guard  tent;  and  Somers  proceeded 
to  report  in  due  form  to  the  major,  whom  he  found 
smoking  his  cigar  under  a  tree  as  complacently  as  though 
there  was  not  a  traitor  or  a  spy  in  the  land. 

"  Well,  young  man  !  you  have  returned  promptly  at 
the   time    specified,"   said   the    major,  as    Somers  very 


160  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    Olt, 

deferentially  touched  his  cap  to  this  magnate  of  the 
rebel  army. 

*'  Yes,  sir :  I  have  endeavored  to  discharge  my  duty 
faithfully,"  replied  Somers. 

'"  Did  you  find  the  regiment?" 

"  No,  sir :  I  lost  my  way ;  and  finding  I  should  not 
have  time  to  go  to  the  place  where  it  is,  without  ovcr- 
etaying  my  time,  I  hastened  back,  knowing  that  the 
service  upon  which  you  wished  to  employ  me  was  very 
important  indeed." 

"  You  did  right,  young  man.    Where  is  your  coat?" 

"  It  Avas  one  I  picked  up  just  after  I  had  passed  the 
lines,  and  a  soldier  down  below  claimed  it.  I  gave  it  up 
when  he  convinced  me  it  was  his  property." 

"  You  are  very  honest  as  well  as  patriotic." 

Somers  bowed,  but  made  no  reply  to  the  compliment ; 
which,  however,  was  fully  appreciated. 

"  You  seem  to  be  a  young  man  of  good  address,  and 
you  can  render  your  country  a  great  service,  but  it  will 
be  at  the  peril  of  your  life,"  said  the  major  with  im- 
pressive formality. 

"  I  am  willing  to  serve  my  country,  even  with  my 
life." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  it.  I  was  impressed  by  your  manner, 
and  I  have  recommended  you  to  the  general  for  the 
service  he  has  in  view.  I  hope  you  will  do  credit  to  the 
selection  I  have  made  ;  for  the  most  important  duty  which 


THE   ADVEKTUIiES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  IGI 

a  coinmaiider  lins  to  perform  is  to  select  proper  persons 
Tor  the  execution  of  special  missions." 

"  I  will  endeavor  to  serve  my  country  to  the  best  of 
my  ability ;  and  I  am  satisfied  that  I  can  go  all  over 
the  Yankee  camps  Avithout  diiliculty." 

"  Very  well !  You  have  confidence  in  yourself;  and 
that  is  the  first  requisite  of  success.  If  you  discharge 
this  duty  -with  fidelity  and  skill,  you  may  be  sure  of  being 
made  a  sergeant  the  moment  you  return." 

"Thank  you,  Major  Platner.  I  am  very  grateful  to 
yon,  sir,  for  the  opportunity  you  thus  afford  me  to  dis- 
tinguish myself." 

"  You  will  find  me  a  good  friend,  if  you  are  faithful 
and  intelligent." 

"  Thank  you,  sir." 

"  Now  you  shall  go  with  me  to  General  M 's  head- 
quarters, and  he  will  give  you  your  final  instructions." 

Major  Platner  led  the  way  ;  and  Somers  reverently 
followed  a  pace  or  two  behind  him,  flattering  the  ofl[icer 
in  every  action  as  well  as  Avord.  They  reached  the 
division  headquarters,  and  our  hero  was  ushered  into  the 
presence  of  the  general.  He  was  a  large,  red-faced  man, 
iind  had  evidently  taken  all  tlie  whiskey  he  could  carry,  at 
his  dinner,  from  which  he  had  just  returned. 

"What  have  you  got  there,  Platner?"  demanded  the 
general,  in  a  tone  so  rough,  that  Somers  was  reminded 
of  the  ogres  in  Jack  the  Giant-killer. 
H 


162  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OH, 

"  The  young  man  of  Avhom  I  spoke  to  you  this  fore- 
noon. He  is  a  person  of  remarkable  address,  courage, 
and  skill ;  and  is  just  the  man  you  need." 

"All  right :  adieu,  major  !  "  added  the  general,  bowing 
to  the  other. 

Major  Platner  took  the  hint,  and  took  himself  off, 
leaving  Somers  standing  alone  and  somewhat  abashed 
in  the  presence  of  the  great  man. 

"•  Young  man ! "  said,  or  rather  roared,  the  rebel 
general,  as  he  raised  his  eyes  from  the  ground,  and  fixed 
them  Avith  a  half- drunken  leer  upon  our  hero. 

"  Sir ! " 

"  How  much  whiskey  can  you  drink  without  going  by 
the  board  ?  " 

Somers  did  not  know,  had  never  tried  the  experiment, 
and  was  utterly  opposed  to  all  such  practices.  But  he 
desired  to  conciliate  the  tipsy  general ;  and,  if  he  had 
not  been  fearful  of  being  put  to  the  test,  he  would  have 
signified  his  belief  that  he  could  carry  off  half  a  dozen 
glasses.  As  it  was,  he  did  not  dare  to  belie  his  prin- 
ciples. 

"  Not  any,  sir  !  I  never  drink  whiskey,"  he  replied, 
with  the  utmost  deference  in  his  tones. 

"Hey?"  gasped  General  M ,   darting  a  sudden 

glance  at  the  young  man. 

"I  never  drank  a  glass  of  whiskey  in  my  life,  sir," 
added  Somers. 


TIW   ADVENTUIiES   OF  Ay  ARMY   OFFICER.        163 

The  general  jumped  off  his  camp-stool  with  a  sudden 
jerk,  and  stared  at  our  lieutenant  in  silence  for  an 
instant. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,"  said  he. 

Somers  extended  his  hand. 

*'  Yes !  you  are  flesh  and  blood.  You  are  the  first 
man  I  ever  saw  that  never  drank  a  glass  of  whiskey. 
You  drink  brandy,  don't  you?" 

*'  No,  sir  !  I  never  drank  a  glass  of  liquor  or  wine  of 
any  kind  in  ray  life. 

"  Give  me  your  hand,"  said  the  general  again. 

"  Flesh  and  blood  !  You  are  the  first  man  I  ever  saw 
that  never  drank  a  glass  of  liquor  or  wine  of  any  kind. 
'Tis  a  bad  practice,"  he  added  with  an  oath. 

''  I  think  so,  sir,"  replied  Somers  with  due  deference. 

"  Young  man  !  " 

"Sir." 

*' The  greatest  enemy— hie  —  that  the  Confederate 
army  has  to  contend  against  is  whiskey.  Yes,  sir ! 
wliiskey  !  If  the  Confederate  States  of  —  hie  —  of 
America  ever  win  their  independence,  it  will  be  when 
the  whiskey's  all  gone." 

"  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  officers  of  your  high  rank 
condemning  the  practice,"  said  Somers,  alive  to  the  joke 
of  the  general's  proceedings,  but  prudently  looking  as 
serious  as  though  it  had  been  a  solemn  tragedy  instead 
of  an  awful  farce. 


164  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTEXANT ;    OR, 

"  Yes,  sir !  I'm  opposed  with  all  my  might  to  the 
practice.  Yes,  sir !  Whiskey  is  the  greatest  enemy  I 
have  on  the  face  of  the  footstool,  young  man." 

Somers  believed  him. 

"  Always  be  temperate,  young  man.  You  are  in  the 
sunshine  of — hie  —  of  life.  Never  drink  whiskey.  It 
will  ruin  your  body  and  soul.  Don't  touch  it,  young 
man,"  added  he,  as  he  sank  back  on  the  camp-stool, 
whose  centre  of  gravity  was  nearly  destroyed  by  the 
shock,  and  closed  his  eyes,  as  if  overcome  by  the  potency 
of  his  great  enemy,  which  was  just  then  beginning  to 
have  its  full  effect,  and  which  produced  a  tendency  to 
sleep. 

"I  will  endeavor  to  profit  by  your  good  advice,  sir," 
said  Somers. 

"That's  right ;  do  so,"  added  the  general,  as  he  jerked 
up  his  head  to  banish  the  drowsy  god,  who  Avas  strug- 
gling for  the  possession  of  his  senses.  "  That  will  do, 
young  man.     You  may  go  noAV." 

The  general,  in  his  drunken  stupor,  had  certainly  for- 
gotten the  business  for  which  Major  Platner  had  brought 
him  to  the  division  headquarters  ;  and  Somers  began  to 
fear  that  he  should  have  no  errand  that  day. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  general ;  but  Major  Platner  was 
kind  enough  to  say  that  you  had  some  service  for  me  to 
perform." 

"  Eh?"  demanded  he,  tossing  up  his  head  again. 


TUE  ADVEXTUnES   OF  AX  ARMY  OFFICER.         165 

Somers  repeated  the  remark  more  explicitly  than 
before. 

"'  Exactly  so  :  I  remember.  Do  you  know  what  I  was 
thinking  about  just  then,  young  man?"  said  the  general, 
spasmodically  leaping  to  his  feet  again,  as  though  the 
thought  was  full  of  inspiration. 

"No,  sir:  a  man  in  my  humble  position  could 
hardly  measure  the  thoughts  of  a  great  man  in  your 
situation." 

"  I'll  tell  you  :  I  was  thinking  about  issuing  a  divi- 
sion general  order  on  the  subject  of  temperance.  What 
do  you  think  of  it?" 

**  It  would  be  an  excellent  idea,"  replied  Somers. 

*'  Young  man  !  " 

"Sir." 

"  I  believe  you  said  —  hie"  — 

Somers  did  not  say  any  thing  of  the  sort ;  but  he 
waited  patiently  for  the  rebel  general  to  recover  the 
idea  which  he  appeared  to  have  lost. 

"  I  believe  you  said  you  never  drank  any  whiskey?" 

"  I  never  did,  sir." 

"  Then  you  never  was  drunk." 

"  Never,  sir." 

"  Young  man  !  " 

"  Sir." 

"  Are  you  a  —  hie  "  — 

Somers  was  not  a  "hie;"  but  he  was  an  impatient 


166  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OB, 

young  man,  and  very  anxious  to  be  instructed  in  regard 
to  his  difficult  and  dangerous  mission. 

"  Are  you  a  minister  of  the  gospel  ? "  demanded  the 
general,  after  a  mighty  effort. 

"  No,  sir  :  I  am  not." 

"I'm  sorry  for  —  hie  —  for  that;  for  I  wanted  to 
appoint  you  a  division  chaplain,  to  preach  against 
■whiskey  to  the  general  officers.  Some  of  them  are  — 
hie  —  drunken  fellows,  and  no  more  fit  for  a  command 
than  the  old  topers  in  the  streets  of  Richmond." 

"  I  am  sorry  I  am  not  competent  to  fill  the  office  ;  but 
I  think,  if  you  should  lecture  them  yourself,  it  would 
have  a  better  effect." 

"  My  words  are  —  hie  —  powerless.  They  laugh  when 
I  talk  to  them  about  the  error  of  their  ways,"  added  he 
with  a  string  of  oaths,  which  seemed  to  exhibit  a  further 
necessity  for  a  chaplain  on  the  division  staff. 

"I  beg  your  pardon,  sir  ;  but  I  am  afraid  your  interest 
in  the  moral  welfare  of  your  officers  "  — 

"That  is  it,  young  man!"  interrupted  the  drunken 
general,  catching  at  his  idea  Avith  remarkable  prompt- 
nessi  "My  interest  in  the  moral  welfare  of  my  —  hie  — 
of  my  officers  !  You  are  a  trump,  young  man  (big  oath). 
You  are  a  major  now?  " 

"  No,  sir." 

"  Only  a  captain?" 

"  No,  sir  :  nothing  but  a  private." 


TUE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         167 

"  Then  you  shall  be  a  captain.  I  haven't  heard  any- 
such —  hie  —  sentiments  as  you  expressed  used  in  this 
division  before.  You  ought  to  be  a  —  hie  —  a  brigadier- 
general." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  You  are  very  kind.  I  came  to 
you  for  instructions  in  regard  to  my  mission  over  to  the 
enemy." 

''  Bless  me !  yes :  so  you  did.  Well,  I  have  not 
written  them  yet." 

"  I  only  want  a  pass  from  you,  general,  with  such 
verbal  instructions  as  you  may  please  to  give  me." 

*'  So  you  do  :  the  fact  of  it  is,  my  interest  in  the  moral 
welfare  of  my  men  had  driven  the  matter  out  of  my 
mind." 

The  general  called  an  orderly ;  and  Somers  was  sent 
oil*  to  the  adjutant  for  the  pass,  which  was  given  to  him 
under  the  name  he  had  assumed.  AVhen  he  returned,  the 
general  was  sound  asleep  on  his  camp-stool,  rolling  about 
like  a  ship  in  a  gale,  with  a  prospect  of  soon  landing  at 
full  length  on  terra  firma.  Somers  would  gladly  have 
received  some  military  information  from  the  general, 
who  was  in  a  condition  to  tell  all  he  knew ;  which, 
however,  could  not  have  been  much,  under  the  circum- 
stances, lie  concluded  that  it  would  be  best  for  him 
not  to  awaken  the  tipsy  moralist ;  and,  after  waiting  a 
short  time  on  the  spot  to  avoid  suspicion,  he  joined 
Major  riatner,  who  was  smoking  his  cigar  under  a  tree 
near  the  headquarters. 


168  THE    TOUXG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Well,  yoimg  man,  did  you  obtain  your  instrue- 
tions?" 

*'  Yes,  all  I  require." 

"  Perhaps  we  ought  to  have  seen  the  general  before 
dinner,"  added  the  major,  using  the  remark  as  a  "feeler" 
to  induce  his  companion  to  inform  him  -svliat  had  trans- 
pired during  the  interview. 

'•  Perhaps  it  would  have  been  more  agreeable  to  the 
general.  However,  he  seemed  to  be  in  a  very  talkative 
mood." 

"  He  commonly  is  after  dinner." 

"  He  is  a  very  jovial,  good  fellow." 

*'  Very." 

*'  But  he  appears  to  feel  a  deep  interest  in  the  moral 
welfare  of  those  under  his  command.  He  expressed 
himself  as  very  averse  to  habits  of  intemperance." 

''  Humph  !  "  coughed  the  major. 

"  He  said  that  whiskey  was  the  gi-eat  enemy  the  army 
has  to  contend  against,  and  intends  to  issue  a  general 
order  directed  at  the  vice  of  intemperance." 

"Did  he?" 

"He  did :  but  I  ought  to  add,  that  he  took  me  to  be  a 
major  in  the  service  ;  a  mistake  which  was  very  natural, 
since  I  Avore  no  coat." 

"  Very  natural,  —  after  dinner,"  replied  Major  Platner 
suggestively. 

"  I  told  him  I  never  drank  any  strong  drink  ;  and  he 
kindly  advised  me  never  to  do  so." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         169 

"  The  "-eneral  is  a  brave  man,  and  I  hope  he  will  be 
able  to  overcome  all  his  enemies." 

The  major  permitted  the  conversation  to  go  by  default, 
and  Somers  respectfully  dropped  a  pace  or  two  behind 
him.  They  reached  the  brigade  headquarters,  and  then 
repaired  to  the  guard  tent,  from  which  the  scout  took  his 
departure  upon  his  arduous  and  difficult  mission,  with 
the  best  wishes  of  the  rebel  officers. 

With  his  pass  he  had  no  difficulty  in  going  through 
any  line,  and  made  his  way  down  to  the  woods  on  the 
left  of  the  open  fields.  He  began  to  feel  easier  when  he 
had  passed  the  field-works,  and  experienced  a  sensation  of 
exultation  as  he  thought  of  the  reception  which  awaited 
him  at  headquarters  as  well  as  in  the  regiment. 


170  THE    YOUXG    LIEUTENANT;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XV. 

THE    SHARPSIIOOTEIl    IN    THE    WOODS. 

OMERS  found  tlie  picket  guard  nearer  tlic  rebel 
line  than  he  liad  anticipated  ;  but  the  exhibi- 
tion of  his  pass,  which  had  been  prepared  with 
special  reference  to  this  purpose,  prevented  any- 
long  detention,  though  a  sergeant  had  to  be  called  who 
was  scholar  enough  to  read  the  mysterious  document. 

"  I  reckon  you  haven't  got  the  best  place  to  go 
through,"  said  the  sergeant,  after  he  had  examined  the 
pass,  and  satisfied  himself  of  its  correctness. 

''Why  not?" 

"  There's  a  whole  squad  of  Yankees  a  good  piece  in 
there,"  he  replied,  pointing  in  the  direction  of  the 
Federal  lines.  "  They've  been  there  all  day  watching 
for  something." 

"  What  do  they  want?" 

"There  was  a  man  run  through  the  line  this  fore- 
noon from  their  side,  and  I  reckon  they  are  trying  to 
find  him." 

"Was  he  a  Yank?"  asked  Somers,  desirous  of  obtain- 
ing their  idea  of  the  fugitive. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  171 

"  Dimuo  Avluit  he  was.  We  didn't  see  liim  till  he  got 
a  good  piece  behind  us.  We  were  chasing  the  Yanks 
which  run  away  when  they  saw  us." 

This  was  satisfactory  to  our  scout;  for  the  sergeant 
appeared  to  have  no  knowledge  that  would  be  dangerous 
to  him,  and  none  of  the  graybacks  recognized  the  pants 
he  wore.  He  advanced  cautiously,  as  though  he  was 
afraid  of  stumbling  upon  the  squad  of  Yankees  de- 
scribed by  the  sergeant,  till  he  coidd  no  longer  be  seen 
by  the  pickets.  The  last  obstacle  seemed  to  be  over- 
come ;  and  he  hastened  to  the  place  where  he  had  con- 
cealed his  uniform,  which  he  wished  to  put  on  before  he 
approached  the  pickets  on  the  other  side.  It  was  now 
nearly  dark,  and  he  had  no  time  to  spare  ;  for,  if  he 
approached  liis  own  men  in  the  darkness,  he  would  be 
in  danger  of  being  shot  before  they  discovered  who  he 
was,  though  he  had  full  confidence  in  the  discretion  of 
Ilapgood. 

"Without  difficulty,  he  found  the  place  w^here  he  had 
concealed  his  clothes  ;  and,  after  assuring  himself  that 
none  of  the  rebel  pickets  were  in  sight,  he  hastily  put 
them  on.  To  prevent  any  unpleasant  suspicions,  he  took 
the  precaution  to  hide  the  gray  pants  he  had  worn,  in 
the  long  grass  of  the  swamp,  so  that  they  need  not 
attract  the  attention  of  any  stroller  who  might  pass  in 
that  direction.  Though  we  have  frequently  held  our 
hero  up  as  a  model  of  modesty,  we  are  compelled  to 


172  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

acknowledge  tliat  he  felt  exceedingly  well  «itisfied  Avith 
himself  on  the  present  occasion,  lie  felt  that  he  had 
done  what,  in  the  homely  vocabulary  of  the  boys  of 
Pinchbrook,  might  well  be  called  "  a  big  thing." 

He  had  fully  and  successfully  accomplished  the  ardu- 
ous purposes  of  his  mission.  lie  had  examined  the 
positions,  and  counted  the  forces  of  the  rebels.  He  had 
received  very  valuable  information  from  Mr.  Ra^mes, 
and  from  others  whom  he  had  encountered  in  his  walk 
through  the  enemy's  lines.  He  was  satisfied  that  he 
should  receive  a  warm  welcome  from  those  who  had 
sent  him  upon  the  perilous  tour.  Pie  had  earned  the 
first  bar  to  his  shoulder-straps,  and  was  proud  of  his 
achievement. 

The  work  had  been  done,  and  he  was  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  Union  lines,  —  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  devoted  Hapgood,  who  was  patiently  but  anxiously 
waiting  to  give  him  a  soldier's  reception.  Above  all, 
he  was  safa ;  and  he  trembled  when  he  thought  of  the 
perils  through  which  he  had  passed,  of  the  consequences 
which  must  have  followed  the  discovery  of  his  real  char- 
acter. As  lie  had  thanked  God  for  the  boon  of  life  after 
the  battle  w^as  over,  so  now  he  thanked  him  for  the 
signal  success  w^hich  had  crowned  his  labors  in  the  good 
cause.  The  last  article  of  his  raiment  was  put  on  and 
adjusted :  he  rose  from  the  ground  to  walk  towards  the 
Union  lines. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         173 

"  I  say,  Yank,  you  look  better'ii  you  did  'fore  yer 
changed  your  clothes,"  said  a  voice,  which  struck  his 
ear  with  startling  distinctness. 

Somers  looked  in  the  direction  from  which  the  voice 
came,  and  discovered  a  villanous-looking  countenance, 
that  had  just  risen  from  the  tall  swamp-grass,  within  a 
couple  of  rods  of  the  spot  where  he  stood.  The  man 
was  unmistakably  a  rebel,  —  one  of  the  most  savage  and 
imjilacablc  of  rebels  at  that ;  such  a  character  as  we 
read  of  in  connection  with  slave-hunts  in  Mississippi,  or 
*'  free  fights "  in  Arkansas.  He  wore  a  long,  tangled 
beard  ;  and  his  hair  had  probably  never  known  the  use 
of  a  comb.  The  grayback  looked  as  cool  and  impudent 
as  though  he  was  perfectly  assured  of  his  prey,  and 
intended  to  torture  this  victim  with  his  tongue,  as  he 
would  with  his  knife  or  his  rifle  if  occasion  required. 

"  I  say,  Yank,  you  look  better'n  yer  did  'fore  yer 
changed  your  colors,"  repeated  the  rebel,  as  Ive  received 
no  reply  to  his  first  salutation. 

Somers  looked  at  him  again  :  indeed,  he  had  hardly 
taken  his  eyes  off  the  savage-looking  fellow,  who  would 
have  made  a  very  good  representative  of  Orson  in  the 
fairy  story.  He  held  a  rifle  in  his  hand,  the  muzzle  of 
which  could  easily  be  brought  to  bear  upon  his  victim. 
Our  lieutenant  at  once  understood  the  humor  of  the 
fellow ;  and,  having  recovered  his  self-possession  in  the 
momentary  pause,  he  determined  not  to  be  behind  his 
foe  either  in  word  or  in  deed. 


174  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR,  ^ 

''I  say,  reb,  when  did  you  sliave  last?"  demanded 
Somers,  willi  something  as  near  akin  to  a  langh  as  he 
could  manufacture  for  the  occasion. 

"'Fore  you  was  born,  I  reckon,  Yank,"  replied  the 
rebel ;  "  and  I  sha'n't  shave  agin  till  after  you're  dead. 
But  I  reckon  I  sha'n't  hev  ter  wait  long  nuther." 

"  I  suppose  you  don't  know  what  a  comb  is  for,  do 
you?"  continued  Somers,  who  was,  however,  thinking 
of  some  method  by  which  he  might  get  out  of  this 
scrape. 

"  I  reckon  I've  heerd  about  such  things  ;  but  Joe  Bag- 
bone  ain't  a  woman,  and  don't  waste  his  time  no  such 
way.  I  say,  stranger,  you've  got  about  three  minutes 
more  to  live." 

"How  long?" 

"  Three  minutes,  stranger.  JVe  sat  here  by  them 
clothes,  like  a  dog  at  a  'possum's  ne^l^all  the  arter- 
noon.  Now  I've  treed  the  critter,  and  I'l^  gw^ine  to 
shoot  him."  ^  ' 

!      "Is  that  so?" 

"That's  so,  stranger." 

"  Do  you  usually  shoot  any  man  you  happen  to  meet 
in  the  woods?" 

"  "Well,  I  don't  reckon  we  do,  every  man  ;  but  some 
on  'em  we  does.  I  calkilate  you  got  on  Tom  Myers's 
clothes  now,  and  yer  shot  the  man  'fore  you  took  the 
rags." 


THE   ADVENTUHES   OF  AN"  ATiMY   OFFICER.         175 

*'  I  tliiln't  shoot  him." 

"  No  matter  for  that,  strauger :  he  was  shot  by  a 
Yank,  and  you've  got  to  settle  the  account." 

Somers  begau  to  be  of  the  same  opinion  himself.  The 
gi-ayback  had  evidently  found  the  clothes,  and  suspected 
the  purpose  for  which  they  Avere  concealed.  It  was  pos- 
sible he  had  even  more  definite  information  than  this  ;  for 
he  seemed  to  be  prepared  for  precisely  what  had  taken 
place. 

"  My  friend  "  — 

"  I'm  not  your  friend,  stranger.  You  kin  say  any 
thing  you  like,  if  yer  don't  insult  me  :  Joe  Bagbone 
don't  take  an  insult  from  any  live  man." 

*'  '^A'ell,  Joe  Bagbone,"  continued  Somers,  who  Avas 
disposed  to  parley  with  the  fellow  to  gain  time,  if 
nothing  else,  *'  if  you  shoot  me,  you  will  make  the 
worst  mistake  you  ever  made  in  your  life  ;  and  I  can 
prove  it  to  you  in  less  than  five  minutes." 

"  No,  yer  can't,  stranger.  Don't  waste  yer  time  no 
such  way.  If  yer  Avant  ter  say  yer  prayers,  blaze  aAvay 
li\'ely,  'cause  three  minutes  aren't  long  for  a  man  to  repent 
of  all  his  sins." 

"  I  have  a  pass  from  General  M ,  which  permits 

me  to  go  in  safety  through  these  lines,"  persisted  Somers. 
*'  The  sergeant  above  just  examined  it,  and  passed  me 
through." 

"  Don't  keer  nothing  about  yer  pass.     I  respects  Jeff 


176  TUE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

Davis  just  as  much  as  the  best  man  in  Mississip.  If  yer 
had  a  pass  from  him,  you  mought  as  well  not  have  it  as 
have  it.  Tom  Myers  was  killed,  and  somebody's  gwine 
up  for  him." 

"  But  I  have  important  business  on  the  other  side." 

"  I  knows  that,  stranger,"  replied  the  imperturbable 
Joe  Bagbone.     "  It  don't  make  no  difference." 

"  I  am  sent  over  by  General  M .     I  belong  to  the 

Fourth  Alabama." 

"  Shet  up  !  Don't  tell  no  lies,  'cause  yer  hain't  got  no 
time  ter  repent  on  'em." 

"Then,  if  I  understand  it,  you  mean  to  murder  one  of 
your  own  men  in  cold  blood." 

"Nothin'  of  the  sort :  only  gwine  to  shoot  a  Yank." 

Somers  looked  into  that  hard,  relentless  eye  ;  but  there 
Avas  not  the  slightest  indication  of  any  change  of  purpose. 
He  felt  that  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  his  executioner. 
All  the  errors  of  his  past  life  crowded  upon  him,  and  the 
grave  seemed  to  yaA\Ti  before  him. 

"  Call  the  sergeant  above,  and  he  will  satisfy  you  that 
I  am  all  right,"  said  he,  making  one  more  effort  to  move 
the  villain  from  his  Avicked  purpose. 

"  Don't  want  the  sergeant.     Yer  time's  out,  stranger." 

"  Let  me  call  him  then." 

"  If  yer  do,  I'll  fire.  Say  yer  prayers  now,  if  yer 
mean  ter ;  but  I  reckon  the  prayers  of  a  Yank  ain't  of 
much  account,"  replied  Joe  with  a  sneer. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY    OFFICER.  177 

Somers  stood  within  a  few  feet  of  a  large  tree.  Joe 
liad  several  times  raised  his  rifle  to  his  shoulder  :  but, 
when  he  magnanimously  offered  his  victim  the  last 
moment  of  grace,  he  dropped  it  again  ;  and  our  lieu- 
tenant, taking  advantage  of  this  interval,  darted  behind 
the  tree.  Joe  raised  his  piece  quicker  than  a  flash  ;  but 
he  did  not  fire,  for  the  reason  that  he  could  not  secure  a 
perfect  aim,  and  because  he  was  sure  of  a  better  oppor- 
tunity. Our  lieutenant,  Avho  had  carefully  preserved  his 
revolver  during  the  various  changes  he  had  made  in  his 
dress,  now  took  it  from  his  pocket,  and  prepared  to 
contest  the  field  like  a  man. 

The  grayback,  chagrined  at  this  movement  on  the  part 
of  his  victim,  Avhom  he  had  evidently  intended  to  intimi- 
date by  his  coolness  and  his  ferocious  words,  rose  from 
his  seat  in  the  long  grass,  and  moved  towards  the  tree 
behind  which  Somers  had  taken  refuge.  Probably  he 
was  not  aware  that  the  Yankee  was  armed ;  for  he 
adopted  none  of  the  precautions  which  such  a  knowl- 
edge would  have  imposed  upon  any  reasonable  man. 

"  Come  out  from  that  tree,  stranger,  or  you  shall  die 
like  a  hog,  with  a  knife  ;  not  like  a  man,  with  a  rifle- 
ball." 

''  I  intend  to  die  by  neither,"  said  Somers  resolutely, 
as  he  discharged  his  pistol  in  the  direction  from  which 
the  voice  of  the  grayback  came  ;  for  lie  dared  not  take 
aim,  lest  the  bullet  of  the  ruffian  should  pierce  his  skull. 

12 


178  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

He  might  as  well  have  fired  iuto  the  air,  fo  far  as 
any  injury  to  his  enemy  was  concerned  ;  but  the  report 
had  the  effect  to  assure  the  rebel  that  he  was  armed,  and 
thus  put  an  end  to  his  farther  advance  in  that  direction. 
Somers  listened  with  intense  anxiety  to  discover  the  next 
movement  of  his  wily  persecutor.  lie  had  only  checked, 
not  defeated  him  ;  and  an  exciting  game  was  commenced, 
which  promised  to  terminate  only  in  the  death  of  one  of 
the  belligerents.  Somers  hoped  that  the  discharge  of  his 
pistol  would  bring  the  sergeant  down  to  his  relief;  but 
then  to  be  discovered  in  Federal  uniform  was  about 
equivalent  to  being  shot  by  his  relentless  foe,  burning 
to  revenge  the  death  of  Tom  Myers. 

The  report  of  pistols  and  muskets  was  so  common  an 
occurrence  on  the  picket-lines  as  to  occasion  nothing 
more  than  a  momentary  inquiry.  No  one  came  for  his 
relief,  or  his  ruin,  as  the  case  might  be  ;  and  he  was  left 
to  play  out  the  exciting  game  by  himself.  The  gray- 
back,  with  a  wholesome  regard  for  the  pistol,  had  retired 
beyond  the  reach  of  its  ball,  while  he  was  still  a  long 
way  within  rifle-range  of  his  doomed  enemy.  Somers 
dared  not  look  out  from  the  tree  to  obtain  even  a  single 
glance  Tit  the  foe  ;  for  he  knew  how  accurate  is  the  aim 
of  some  of  these  Southern  woodsmen.  He  had  nothing 
to  guide  him  but  the  rustling  of  the  dried  branches 
beneath  his  tread,  or  the  occasional  snapping  of  a  twig 
under  his  feet. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         179 

Joe  Bagbone,  after  retreating  beyond  pistol-shot  from 
the  tree,  had  commenced  describing  a  circle  which  would 
bring  him  into  a  position  that  commanded  a  view  of 
his  concealed  victim.  It  must  be  confessed  that  Joe's 
tactics  were  singularly  deficient  in  range  ;  for  nothing  but 
a  surprise  could  make  them  successful.  While  he  was 
moving  a  hundred  rods  to  secure  his  position,  Somers 
could  defeat  his  purpose  by  taking  a  single  step.  As 
soon  as  he  determined  in  what  direction  his  persecutor 
was  going,  he  changed  his  position  ;  and  Joe  discovered 
the  folly  of  his  strategy,  and  sat  down  on  a  stump  to 
await  a  demonstration  on  the  part  of  his  victim. 

The  game  promised  to  be  prolonged  to  a  most  unrea- 
sonable length  ;  and  Somers,  now  in  a  measure  secure  of 
his  life,  was  impatient  to  join  his  anxious  companions, 
with  whom  he  had  parted  in  the  forenoon.  He  was 
satisfied  that  Joe  would  never  abandon  the  chase,  and 
the  slightest  indiscretion  on  his  own  part  would  result  in 
instant  death.  It  was  a  fearful  position,  and  one  which 
was  calculated  to  wear  terribly  upon  his  nerves.  He 
was  anxious  to  bring  the  contest  to  a  conclusion  ;  and, 
while  he  was  debating  in  his  own  mind  the  chances  of 
escaping  by  a  sudden  dash  in  the  direction  of  the  Union 
lines,  a  happy  thought  in  the  way  of  strategy  occurred 
to  him. 

He  had  determined  as  nearly  as  he  could  the  situation 
of  his  bull-dog  opponent,  and  thought  that,  if  he  could 


180  THE    YOUXG   LIEU  TEX  ANT,     OR, 

draw  his  fire,  lie  might  get  out  of  range  of  his  rifle 
before  it  could  be  reloaded.  Placing  his  cap  on  the 
barrel  of  his  pistol,  he  cautiously  moved  it  over,  just  as 
it  would  have  appeared  to  the  rebel  if  his  head  had  been 
inside  of  it,  and  projected  it  a  little  beyond  the  tree.  He 
-withdrew  it  suddenly  two  or  three  times  to  increase  the 
delusion  in  the  mind  of  his  enemy  ^e  could  not  see  the 
effect  of  the  stratagem ;  but  he  was  hopeful  of  a  satis- 
factory result.  He  continued  to  repeat  the  operation 
with  the  cap,  till  he  was  confident  Joe  was  not  to  be 
fooled  in  this  way.  He  was  probably  one  of  the  sharp- 
shooters, and  had  too  often  fired  at  empty  caps  to  be 
caught  in  this  manner  when  success  depended  upon  the 
single  charge  in  his  rifle. 

Soniers  did  not  despair,  but  slipped  off  his  coat ;  and, 
rolling  it  up  so  as  to  form  the  semblance  of  a  head,  he 
placed  the  cap  upon  the  top  of  the  bundle,  and  cautiously 
exposed  the  "  dummy  "  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  tree. 
The  crack  of  Joe's  rifle  instantly  followed  this  exhibition, 
and  Somers  felt  the  blow  of  the  ball  when  it  struck  the 
cap.  The  critical  moment  had  come  ;  ih^t  without  the 
loss  of  a  second,  our  lieutenant  darted  towai'ds  the  Union 
lines.  This  movement  was  followed  by  a  shrill  yell  from 
the  Mississippian,  which  might  have  been  a  howl  of 
disappointment  at  his  failm-e ;  or  it  might  have  been 
intended  to  startle,  and  thus  delay  the  fugitive. 

Somers  had  listened  to  that  battle  yell  too  many  times 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         181 

to  be  moved  by  it,  especially  when  uttered  by  a  single 
voice  ;  and,  with  all  the  speed  of  which  his  limbs  were 
capable,  he  fled  to  the  arms  of  his  friends.  Joe  was  not 
content  to  give  up  the  battle  ;  and,  dropping  his  rifle,  he 
drew  his  long  knife,  and  gave  chase.  They  made  a  long 
run  of  it ;  and  it  was  only  ended  when  Tom  heard  the 
demand  of  his  faithful  sergeant,  — 

*'  AVho  goes  there  ?  " 

*'  Friend,"  gasped  Somers,  utterly  exhausted  by  his 
exertions. 

"  Lieutenant  Somers  ?  God  be  praised  !  "  replied  Hap- 
good,  instantly  recognizing  his  voice. 


182  TUE    YOUXG   LIEUTEXAXT;    Cli, 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


RETURN   TO   THE    CAMP. 


/^^^HE  moment  Somers  was  recognized,  Hapgood 
/'J  and  his  party  rushed  forward,  rightly  judging, 
^^Jy  from  the  rapidity  of  his  motions,  tliat  he  was 
pursued.  The  sharp  eye  of  the  veteran  sergeant 
was  the  first  to  perceive  the  ferocious  Mississippian, 
who,  undaunted  by  the  appearance  of  the  Union  soldiers, 
continued  the  pursuit  as  long  as  tliere  was  even  a  gleam 
of  hope  that  he  could  overtake  his  intended  victim.  He 
was  only  a  few  paces  behind  the  lieutenant  when  the 
latter  was  discovered. 

Hapgood  raised  his  musket,  and  fired,  just  as  the  im- 
placable pursuer  abandoned  the  chase,  and  turned  his 
steps  back  to  the  rebel  line.  He  staggered  for  a  few 
paces  more,  and  fell  just  as  a  dozen  other  muskets  were 
levelled  at  him.  He  appeared  to  have  been  hit  in  the 
leg ;  for  he  did  not  fall  flat  upon  the  ground,  as  he  would 
if  he  had  been  struck  in  a  vital  part,  but  sank  down  to  a 
sitting  posture. 

The  Union  men  rushed  up  to  him,  and  found  that  the 


THE   ADVEXTUnES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         183 

supposition  was  correct :  the  ball  had  passed  through  the 
fleshy  part  of  his  thigh,  disabling,  but  not  dangerously 
wounding  him.  The  rutfiau — we  do  not  call  him  so 
because  he  was  a  rebel,  but  he  was  naturally  and  by 
education  just  what  the  term  indicates — was  as  savage 
and  implacable  as  before. 

'"'  Better  leave  me  where  I  am,  Yanks,"  said  he  ;  "  'case, 
if  I  get  well,  I  shall  be  the  death  of  some  of  you.  You 
khi  slioot  me  through  the  Ijead  if  you  like." 

''  Don't  consarn  yourself  about  us,  reb,"  replied  Hap- 
good.  "  AVe'U  take  good  care  that  you  don't  hurt  your- 
self, or  any  one  else,  while  you  are  in  our  hands." 

*']Mebl)e  you  will,  Yanks  ;  but,  just  as  sure  as  you  was 
born,  I'll  hev  the  heart's  blood  of  that  younker  as  fotched 
Tom  Myers  down." 

"  'Who's  Tom  Myers?"  demanded  the  veteran. 

"  The  man  that  you  Yanks  killed  tliis  forenoon." 

"  Whose  heart's  blood  do  you  want  ?  " 

"  That  younker  with  the  podge  on  his  shoulder ;  the 
un  I  chased  in." 

"  He  didn't  kill  Tom  Myers,  or  any  other  man." 

"  Show  me  the  man,  then,"  growled  tlie  rebel,  now 
beginning  to  feel  the  pain  of  his  wound. 

"  I'm  your  man.  I  brought  Tom  Myers  down,"  re- 
plied Hapgood,  anxious  to  remove  any  cause  of  peril 
from  his  protege. 

"Didyer?" 


184:  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTEXAXT ,     OR, 

*'  Sartin  I  did  ;  saw  him  drop  wlien  I  fired." 

*'Then,  stranger,  yer  kin  make  up  yer  mind  to  die  like 
a  hog  within  ten  days.  I  tell  yer,  Yank,  there  ain't  bolts 
and  bars  enough  in  Yankee  land  to  keep  me  away  from 
yer.  You  kin  shoot  me  if  yer  like  now,  and  that's  all 
the  way  yer  kin  save  yerself." 

"  Well,  reb,  you  are  great  at  blowing  ;  but  I've  seen  a 
good  many  jest  sich  fellers  as  you  be.  I've  lit  with  'pm, 
and  fit  agin  'em  ;  and  I  tell  you,  your  uncle  can  take  keer 
of  just  as  many  of  you  as  can  stand  up  between  here  and 
sundown.  Put  that  in  your  hopper,  reb  ;  and  the  sooner 
you  dry  up,  the  sooner  you'll  come  to  your  milk.  We'll 
take  keer  on  you  like  a  Christian,  though  you  aiu't  nothin' 
but  a  heathen.  Here,  boys,  make  a  stretcher,  and  kerry 
him  along.  Take  that  jack-knife  out  of  his  hand  fust, 
and  keep  one  eye  on  him  all  the  time." 

Having  thus  delivered  himself,  Sergeant  Hapgood 
hastened  to  the  spot  where  Somers  had  seated  himself  on 
the  ground  to  recover  his  wind  and  rest  his  weary  limbs. 
The  terrible  excitement  of  the  last  hour  seemed  to 
fatigue  him  more  than  the  previous  labors  of  the  whole 
day ;  and  he  was  hardly  in  condition  to  march  to  the 
division  headquarters,  where  he  was  to  report  the  success 
of  his  mission. 

"  O  Tom  !  —  I  mean  Lieutenant  Somers  !  I'm  glad  to 
see  you ! "  exclaimed  the  veteran  as  he  grasped  both 
the  hands  of  the  young  soldier. 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.        185 

"  Thmik  you,  uncle  :  I'm  just  as  glad  to  see  you  as 
you  can  be  to  see  me,"  replied  Somers. 

"  You're  all  tuckered  out,  Somers." 

'•  1  had  to  run  lor  some  distance .  with  the  odds  against 
me  ;  but  I  shall  get  rested  in  a  little  while." 

The  sergeant  began  to  ask  questions  ;  and,  as  soon  as 
he  had  recovered  his  breath,  Somers  gave  him  a  brief 
sketch  of  his  adventures,  dwelling  mainly  on  the  last  and 
most  thrilling  event  of  the  day. 

''  I  can  hardly  believe  that  I  am  alive  and  well  after 
all  that  has  happened,"  said  he  in  conclusion.  "  That 
was  the  most  bloodthirsty  villain  I  ever  encountered  in 
the  whole  course  of  my  life." 

''  If  you  say  shoot  him,  leftenant,  it  shall  be  done 
quicker'n  you  can  say  Jack  Roberson,"  added  Hapgood, 
indignant  at  the  conduct  of  the  savage  rebel. 

"  Of  course,  I  don't  say  any  thing  of  the  kind.  It 
v.ould  be  murder  to  do  any  thing  of  that  sort  while  he 
is  our  prisoner." 

"  lie  desarves  hanging  more'n  Kyd  the  pirate  did ; 
and,  if  I  had  my  way,  he'd  swing  afore  sunrise  to- 
morrow,    lie's  a  consarned  heathen  !  " 

"  Never  mind  him :  only  keep  him  safe,  and  where  he 
can't  do  any  mischief;  for  he  is  wicked  enough  to  kill  the 
man  that  feeds  him." 

"  I'm  only  sorry  I  didn't  hit  him  a  little  higher  up, 
where  I  hit  the  other  feller  this  mornin,"  added  the 
veteran.     '' How  do  you  feel  now,  leftenant?" 


186  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  I  am  improving.  I  sliall  be  ready  to  go  witli  yen 
in  a  few  moments  more." 

After  sitting  on  the  stump  half  au  lioiir  longer,  he  was 
in  condition  to  march  ;  but  the  danger  was  past,  the 
tremendous  excitement  had  subsided,  and  his  muscles, 
which  had  been  strained  up  to  the  highest  tension,  seemed 
to  become  soft  and  flaccid.  The  party  passed  the  Union 
pickets,  and  reached  the  headquarters  of  the  division- 
general,  who  had  just  finished  his  supper. 

"  Somers  !  by  all  that  is  great  and  good  !  "  exclaimed 
the  general,  who  probably  never  expected  to  see  the  scout 
again. 

"  I  have  come  to  make  my  report,  sir,"  replied  the 
lieutenant. 

"  You  are  all  used  up.  You  look  as  though  you  could 
hardly  stand  up." 

"  I  am  very  tired,  sir,"  added  Somers  languidly. 

"Sit  down,  then.  Here,  Peter,"  he  added,  addressing 
his  servant,  "  bring  in  a  glass  of  whiskey  for  Lieutenant 
Somers." 

"  Thank  you,  general :  I  never  drink  any  thing  stronger 
than  coffee." 

"  But  a  little  whiskey  would  do  you  good  in  your 
present  condition :   you  need  it." 

"  I  thank  you,  general :  I  never  drink  whiskey,  as  I  had 
occasion  to  say  to  a  rebel  general  of  division  to-day." 

"Eh?    'Pon  my  conscience  !    "Were  you  asked  to  di'iuk 


riTE   ADVEXTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.  187 

by  ix  rebel  major-general  ?  "  demanded  the  officer,  greatly 
surprised  at  the  statement  of  the  scout. 

'*  Not  exactly,  sir.  About  the  first  question  he  asked 
me  was,  how  much  Avhiskey  I  could  drink  without  going 
by  the  board."        * 

*'  Who  was  ho?     Bring  coflfee,  Peter." 

"  General  M ." 

'•  So  I  supposed.  He  is  a  jovial,  good-hearted  fellow  ; 
but  I'll  wa^i^cr  my  shoulder-straps  he  was  tight  at  the 
tiinu,"  laughed  the  general. 

'•  Very  tight,  sir." 

"  Well,  he  is  a  fighting  man,  drunk  or  sober ;  but  I 
should  rather  lead  than  follow  him  in  action.  AVhcre 
have  you  been  all  day?" 

"  Shall  I  tell  my  story  in  full,  or  only  give  you  the 
information  I  obtained?' 

"  Tell  the  story,  so  that  I  can  determine  whether  the 
information  is  good  for  any  thing  or  not." 

Somcrs  drank  the  tin  cup  of  coffee  which  the  general's 
servant  brought  to  him,  and  then  proceeded  to  relate  the 
incidents  of  the  day  in  the  rebel  camp.  His  distinguished 
auditor,  who,  in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  had  well 
earned  the  title  of  "  the  bravest  of  the  brave,"  listened 
with  eager  interest  to  the  details  of  the  lieutenant's 
story,  asking  occasional  questions  upon  points  wliicli 
were  not  only  calculated  to  elicit  particular  information, 
but  to  display  the  skill  and  intelligence  of  the   scout. 


188  THE    YOVXG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

Tiie  iuterview  was  prolonged  for  several  hours  :  and  at 
its  close  a  staff-officer  was  despatched  to  the  corps  com- 
mander ;  for  what  purpose,  of  course,  Soraers  had  no 
intimation. 

"  Lieutenant  Somers,  you  have  earned  your  promotion  ; 
and  if  you  don't  have  it,  it  will  be  because  I  have  not  in- 
fluence enough  to  procure  it.    You  have  done  well." 

"  Thank  you,  sir." 

*'Your  friend,  Senator  Guilford,  shall  hear  of  you 
within  forty-eight  hours." 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir ;  but,  grateful  as  I  am  to 
Senator  Guilford  for  the  interest  he  has  expressed  in 
^e,  I  don't  care  to  be  patronized  by  any  man  in  civil 
life." 

"  Whew  !  "  laughed  the  general.  "  I  wish  some  of  our 
colonels  and  brigadiers  would  take  a  lesson  from  you. 
Never  mind.  Lieutenant  Somers :  you  will  deserve  all 
you    ever  get." 

"Thank  you,  sir." 

"  Go  to  your  quarters  now.  Here,"  he  added,  dashing 
off  a  note  at  his  table,  in  which  he  desired  that  Somers 
might  be  excused  from  duty  for  the  next  two  days,  to 
enable  him  to  recover  from  the  fatigues  of  his  arduous 
expedition. 

I  need  not  inform  my  readers  how  soundly  our  hero 
slept  in  his  shelter  tent  that  night,  nor  how  his  slumbers 
were  disturbed  by  a  horrid  rebel  with  a  bowie-knife,  and 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.  1,S9 

a  horrid  feminine  monstrosity  Avhich  seemed  to  be  called 
Sue  by  her  attendant  demons  ;  but  he  slept  as  a  tired 
boy  only  can  sleep. 

The  next  morning  the  brigade  was  relieved  from 
,  picket  duty,  and  the  regiment  returned  to  its  camp. 
Captain  de  Banyan  had  neither  seen  nor  heard  from  his 
young  friend  since  his  departure  on  the  forenoon  of  the 
preceding  day.  Of  course  he  was  overjoyed  to  see  him, 
as  well  as  intensely  curious  to  know  where  he  had  been, 
what  he  had  done,  and  whether  he  had  been  promoted. 
Somers  told  his  adventures  to  the  mess,  omitting  such 
military  information  as  was  "contraband"  in  the  camp. 

*'  Somers,  my  dear  fellow,  you  are  a  man  after  my 
own  heart ! "  exclaimed  the  captain,  grasping  his  hand, 
and  wringing  it  with  all  the  enthusiasm  of  his  fervid 
nature.  "  Somers,  my  boy,  did  you  ever  hear  of  a  man 
having  his  double?" 

"  I  have  read  of  such  things  in  old  legends." 

"  I  believe  in  it,  Somers.  You  are  my  double  !  You 
are  my  second  self!  You  are  as  near  like  me  as 
one  pea  is  like  another!  Just  before  the  battle  of 
Magenta  "  — 

At  this  interesting  point  in  the  conversation,  the 
officers  of  the  mess  burst  into  an  involuntary  roar  of 
laughter,  ending  up  Magenta  M'ith  a  long  dash. 

"  Not  exactly  like  you,  Captain  de  Banyan,"  added 
Somers. 


100  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"You  can't  tell  half  so  big  a  story,"  said  Lieutenant 
Munroe. 

"  Gentlemen,"  interposed  the  captain  with  dignity, 
*'  you  interrupted  me  at  the  wrong  moment.  I  was 
about  to  prove  to  you  wherein  Lieutenant  Somers  was 
my  double  ;  and,  with  your  permission,  I  will  proceed 
with  my  argument.  Just  before  the  battle  of  Magenta, 
I  was  sent  out  on  a  scout ;  and  I  went  at  the  particular 
request  of  the  Emperor  Napoleon,  who  —  permit  me  to 
add,  in  the  presence  of  a  company  which  seems  to  be 
inimical  to  my  antecedents,  if  not  to  me — had  unlimited 
confidence  in  my  ability  to  perform  this  delicate  duty 
with  skill  and  success.  Well,  gentlemen,  I  passed  our 
pickets :  of  course  I  mean  the  French  pickets  ;  for  I 
was,  as  you  are  all  aware,  a  colonel  in  the  French 
infantry  at  that  time." 

"  We  are  all  aware  of  it,"  laughed  Munroe,  —  "  over 
the  left." 

"  That  is  a  slang  phrase,  and  repulsive  to  the  ears  of  a 
cultivated  gentleman.  As  I  was  saying,  gentlemen,  I 
passed  our  pickets,  and  soon  encountered  a  Russian 
general  of  division." 

"Russian?" 

"  Austrian,  I  should   have  said ;    and  I  thank  you, 
Somers,  for  the  correction.     I  suppose  he  was  making, 
the  grand  rounds  with  the  officer  of  the  day.     Be  that 
as  it  may,  he  considered  it  his  duty  to  stop  me  ;  and  I 


TUB  ADVENTUIiES   OF  AN  AJiMY   OFFICER.         191 

was  under  the  disagreeable  necessity  of  putting  a  bullet 
through  his  head.  He  was  a  count,  and  the  father  of  a 
large  family :  however,  I  could  not  help  it,  though  I  was 
sorry  to  make  orphans  of  his  children.  I  stepped  into 
his  uniform  without  tlie  delay  of  a  moment." 

"  Where  was  the  sergeant  of  the  guard,  the  officer 
of  the  day,  and  the  sentinels?"  demanded  Lieutenant 
Munroe. 

"  I  beg  you  will  not  interrupt  me,  Lieutenant  Munroe, 
with  tliese  ill-timed  remarks,  which  are  merely  intended 
to  throw  discredit  on  my  character  for  truth  and  vera- 
city. I  remarked,  that  I  stepped  into  the  uniform  of 
the  defunct  major-general.  To  abbreviate  the  narrative 
somewhat,  I  walked  through  the  Austrian  lines  for  three 
hours,  till  I  had  discovered  the  position  of  the  infantry, 
cavalry,  and  artillery.  But  the  most  singular  part  of  the 
affair  was,  that,  when  the  long  roll  was  beat  once  during 
that  eventful  night,  I  placed  myself  at  the  head  of  the 
departed  general's  division,  and  manoeuvred  it  for  an 
hour  on  the  field,  intending  to  place  it  in  such  a  position 
that  the  French  could  capture  it.  Unfortunately,  no 
attack  was  made  by  the  Emperor's  forces,  and  I  could 
not  carry  out  my  plan." 

"Can  you  talk  the  Austrian  lingo,  captain?"  asked 
Munroe. 

"  Of  course  I  can,"  replied  De  Banyan  with  dignity. 

"  Here,  Schrugenheimer,  let  us  have  a  specimen  of 


192  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

the  lingo ! "  said  the  tormentor,  appealing  to  a  Ger- 
man officer.  "  Ask  him  some  questions  in  your  own 
hmirua^e," 

''  Gentlemen,  if  my  word  is  not  sufficient,  I  shall  not 
condescend  to  demonstrate  what  I  have  said.  You  will 
notice  the  similarity  between  the  adventures  of  Lieu- 
tenant Somers  and  my  own." 

The  officers  of  the  mess  all  laughed  heartily  at  the 
conclusion  of  the  comparison  ;  for  the  story,  like  a  fairy 
tale,  was  pleasant  to  hear,  but  hard  to  believe.  But 
weightier  matters  than  these  were  at  hand  for  these 
gallant  men  ;  and  before  night  the  gay  laugh  had  ceased, 
and  they  had  nerved  themselves  for  the  stern  duties  of 
the  hour.  Cannon  had  been  thundering  to  the  right  of 
them  for  three  days  ;  and  in  the  afternoon  they  liad  seen 
the  smoke  of  burning  bridges,  which  assured  them  that 
their  communications  with  White  House  had  been  cut 
off.  At  night,  orders  were  given  to  have  the  men  ready  to 
move,  and  to  prepare  for  a  hurried  march.  Extra  stores 
were  destroyed,  clothing  thrown  away,  and  tents  were 
cut  in  pieces,  or  otherwise  rendered  useless  to  the  next 
occupants  of  the  ground.  Every  thing  to  be  transported 
Avas  reduced  to  the  smallest  possible  compass. 

These  orders  w^ere  ominous  of  disaster ;  but  on  the 
following  morning  a  general  order  was  read,  to  the  effect 
that  all  was  right.  The  troubled  expression  on  the 
countenances    of    officers   and   men    indicated    their   in- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         193 

credulity ;  for  the  destruction  in  which  they  had  been 
engaged  belied  the  words  of  the  order.  The  brigade 
was  then  moved  back  three  miles  from  the  camp.  A 
portion  of  the  regiment  was  posted  near  a  house,  in 
which  was  a  bedridden  old  w^oman,  attended  by  her 
daughter.  The  rebels  were  advancing  by  the  Williams- 
burg Road,  and  soon  had  a  battery  of  artillery  in  posi- 
tion to  shell  the  vicinity  of  the  house. 

It  was  an  intensely  hot  day.  Captain  de  Banyan  sat 
asleep  on  the  fence  near  the  house.  He  was  very  much 
exhausted  by  the  labors  of  the  two  preceding  nights  on 
picket,  and  at  the  destruction  of  the  stores  ;  and  w^hile 
Somers  was  watching  the  progress  of  the  battle  on  the 
right,  where  a  sharp  fight  was  in  progress,  a  shell 
screamed  between  them,  and  struck  the  house  about  a 
foot  from  the  ground. 

*'  That  reminds  me  of  the  night  before  Magenta," 
said  the  veteran,  opening  his  eyes,  without  even  a  start. 
"  A  hundred-pounder  shell  knocked  my  hat  off,  and  then 
passed  through  the  two  open  windows  at  each  gable  of 
a  house,  without  even  breaking  a  pane  of  glass." 

"  A  narrow  escape  for  you  and  for  the  house,"  replied 
Somers  with  a  languid  smile. 

13 


194  THE    TOUNO   LIEUTENANT',    GR, 


CHAPTER    XVn. 

GLENDALE    AND    MALVERN   HILLS.  ^ 

CAPTAIN  DE  BANYAN  was  as  cool  and  in- 
different to  danger  as  thongh  he  had  been  shot- 
proof.  Cannon-balls  and  shell  flew  through  the 
air ;  but  the  veteran  paid  no  attention  to  them, 
—  except  that  once  in  a  while  they  reminded  him  of 
Magenta,  or  some  other  of  the  numerous  battle-fields 
where  he  had  displayed  flis  valor.  There  was  little 
fighting  for  our  regiment  at  this  point,  though  there 
was  a  sharp  action  on  the  right  of  the  position. 

The  rebels  attacked  our  forces  with  tremendous  vigor 
at  Savage's  Station.  It  was  believed  by  their  generals 
that  the  Union  army  was  utterly  demoralized ;  that  it 
was  retreating  in  disorder  towards  the  James  River  ,• 
and  that  a  vigorous  onslaught  would  result  in  its  cap- 
ture. The  first  intimation  of  the  blunder  was  received 
at  Savage's  Station,  where  the  Confederates  were  deci- 
sively repulsed ;  yet  the  hope  was  not  abandoned  of 
ending  the  war  b^  the  destruction  of  the  Array  of  the 
Potomac.     The  hosts  of  the  Rebellion  were  poured  down 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         195 

the  roads,  where  they  could  intercept  the  loy<al  forces  ; 
and  the  full  extent  of  their  blunder  was  realized  only  at 
Malvern  Hills. 

At  noon  our  regiments  marched  through  White-oak 
Swamp,  and  late  in  the  evening  bivouacked  in  a  field  near 
the  road.  During  all  this  time  the  road  was  filled  with 
troops,  and  with  trains  of  army  wagons  on  their  way  to 
the  new  "  base."  Very  early  the  next  morning,  the 
march  was  resumed.  It  was  an  exceedingly  hot  day, 
and  the  troops  suffered  severely  from  the  heat.  Somers 
was  nearly  exhausted  when  the  regiment  halted  at  noon 
near  a  church,  which  the  surgeons  had  already  occupied 
as  a  hospital.  But  nothing  could  disturb  the  equanimity 
of  Captain  de  Banyan.  If  an  opportunity  offered,  he 
rested,  and  went  to  sleep  amid  the  screaming  shells  as 
readily  as  though  he  had  been  in  his  chamber  in  the 
"  Fifth  Avenue."  It  was  not  quite  so  hot  as  it  was  at 
Magenta,  nor  the  march  quite  so  severe  as  before  Sol- 
ferino,  nor  the  shot  quite  so  thick  as  at  Chapultepec. 
He  never  grumbled  himself,  and  never  permitted  any  one 
else  to  do  so.  If  Somers  ventured  to  suggest  that  events 
were  rather  hard  upon  him,  he  wondered  what  he  would 
have  done  if  he  had  been  at  Magenta,  Solferino,  Bala- 
clava, or  Chapultepec. 

Somers  was  disposed  to  make  the  best  of  the  circum- 
stances ;  and  though  hungry,  tired,  lind  nearly  melted, 
he    sustained   himself    with    unfaltering    courage   amid 


196  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

the  trials  of  that  eventful  march.  All  day  long,  the 
tide  of  army,  wagons  and  cattle  flowed  down  the  road ; 
and  the  brigade  remained  near  the  church  at  Glendale, 
waiting  for  them  to  pass.  At  dark  the  order  was  given 
to  move  forward,  while  the  roar  of  cannon  and  musketry 
reverberated  on  the  evening  air,  assuring  the  weary 
veterans  that  the  baptism  of  blood  was  at  hand  for 
them,  as  it  had  been  before  for  their  comrades  in 
arras. 

The  re";iment  followed  a  narrow  road  throuofh  the 
woods,  which  was  thronged  with  the  debris  of  the  con- 
flict, hurled  back  by  the  fierce  assaults  of  the  rebels. 
The  cowardly  skulkers  and  the  non-combatants  of  the 
engaged  regiments  were  here  with  their  tale  of  disaster 
and  ruin  ;  and,  judging  from  the  mournful  stories  they 
told,  the  once  proud  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been 
utterly  routed  and  discomfited.  Cowards  with  one  bar, 
cowards  with  two  bars,  cowards  with  no  bar,  and  cow- 
ards with  the  eagle,  on  their  shoulders,  repeated  the  wail 
of  disaster ;  and  the  timid  would  have  shrunk  from  the 
fiery  ordeal  before  them,  if  the  intrepid  officers  and  the 
mass  of  the  rank  and  file  had  not  been  above  the  influ- 
ence of  the  poltroons'  trembling  tones  and  quaking 
limbs. 

"  Forward,  my  brave  boys  !  I've  been  waiting  all  my 
lifetime  for  such  a  scene  as  this  ! "  shouted  Captain  de 
Banyan,  as  he  flourished  his  sword  after  the  most 
approved   style. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AK  ARMY  OFFICER.         197 

"  Dou't  miud  the  cowards ! "  said  Somers,  as  the 
stragglers  poured  out  their  howls  of  terror. 

There  was  little  need  of  these  stirring  exhortations  ;  for 
the  men  were  as  eager  for  the  fight  as  the  officers,  and 
laughed  with  genuine  glee  at  the  pitiful  aspect  of  the 
runaways.  They  advanced  in  line  of  battle  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  hard-pressed  troops  in  front  of  them,  and 
poured  a  withering  fii'e  into  the  enemy.  With  that 
fiendish  yell  which  the  Southern  soldiers  invariably  use 
in  the  hour  of  battle,  they  rushed  forward  with  a  fury 
which  was  madness,  and  into  which  no  fear  of  death 
entered. 

*'  They  are  coming  !  "  shouted  Somers,  as  the  legions 
of  rebellion  surged  do\\Ti  upon  the  line,  yelling  like  so 
many  demons,  as  though  they  expected  the  veterans  to 
be  vanquished  by  mere  noise.  "  Stand  steady,  my 
men ! " 

*'  That  reminds  me  of  the  Russian  advance  at  Ma- 
genta," said  Captain  de  Banyan,  who  happened  to  pass 
near  the  spot  where  Somers  stood. 

"  The  Austrians,  you  mean,"  replied  Somers,  trying 
to  keep  as  cool  and  unmoved  as  his  companion. 

"  Excuse  me  ;  I  meant  the  Austrians,"  replied  the 
captain.  "  The  fact  is —  Forward,  my  brave  fellows  ! " 
roared  he  as  the  order  came  down  the  line. 

The  enemy  had  been  temporarily  checked,  and  the 
brigade  advanced  to  pursue  the  advantage  gained.    They 


198  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTEXAXT;    OR, 

poured  another  terrible  volley  into  the  rebels  ;  -when  a 
regiment  of  the  latter,  infuriated  by  whiskey  and  the 
fierce  goadings  of  their  officers,  rushed  down  with  irre- 
sistible force  upon  a  portion  of  the  Union  line,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  making  a  partial  break  in  our  regiment.  The 
only  remaining  line  officer  in  one  of  the  companies 
where  the  rupture  occurred  was  wounded  at  this  critical 
moment,  and  borne  under  the  feet  of  the  excited  com- 
batants. 

"Lieutenant  Somers,  take  command  of  that  com- 
pany ! "  shouted  the  colonel,  as  he  dashed  towards  the 
imperilled  portion  of  the  line. 

Somers  made  haste  to  obey  the  order  when  the  line 
was  giving  way  before  the  impetuous  charge.  He  felt 
that  the  safety  of  the  whole  army  depended  upon  himself 
at  that  momentous  instant,  and  that  on  the  salvation  of 
the  army  rested  the  destiny  of  his  country.  What  was 
the  life  of  a  single  man,  of  a  hundred  thousand  even, 
compared  with  the  fearful  issue  of  that  moment?  It 
was  the  feeling  of  the  young  soldier,  and  he  was  ready 
to  lay  do^^Ti  his  life  for  the  flag  which  symbolized  the 
true  glory  of  the  nation. 

"  Rally  round  me ! "  he  cried,  as  he  discharged  his 
revolver  into  the  breast  of  a  brave  captain  who  was 
urging  his  company  forward  with  the  most  unflinching 
resolution.  "  Down  with  them !  "  he  shouted,  as  he 
waved  his  sword  above  his  head. 


Lieutenant  Somers  at  Glendale.     Page  199. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.  199 

"  Hurrah ! "  roared  a  brave  sergeant  near  him,  and 
the  cry  Avas  taken  up  by  the  gallant  fellows  who  had  been 
pressed  back  by  sheer  force  of  numbers. 

*'  Forward ! "  shouted  Somers,  as  he  dashed  down  a 
bayonet,  which  would  have  transfixed  him  on  the  spot 
if  he  had  not  been  on  the  alert. 

The  men  rallied,  and  stood  boldly  up  to  the  work 
before  them.  They  were  inspired  by  the  example  of  the 
young  lieutenant ;  and  the  rebel  regiment  slowly  and 
doggedly  retired,  leaving  many  of  their  number  dead  or 
wounded  on  the  field,  and  a  small  number  as  prisoners  in 
the  hands  of  Somers's  new  command. 

After  alternate  repulses  and  successes,  the  rebels  were 
signally  defeated  and  driven  back.  It  was  a  sharp  and 
decisive  struggle ;  but  again  had  the  army  been  saved 
from  destruction,  and  the  long  line  of  army  wagons  still 
pursued  its  way  in  safety  towards  the  waters  of  the 
James. 

Again  had  the  rebel  general's  brilliant  calculation 
failed.  His  troops,  maddened  by  the  fires  of  the  whiskey 
demon,  had  done  all  that  men  or  fiends  could  do  ;  but  the 
trained  valor  of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  again 
saved  the  country.  Onward  it  marched  towards  the  goal 
of  safety  under  the  sheltering  wings  of  the  gunboat  fleet 
in  the  river. 

All  night  long  the  men  marched,  with  frequent  in- 
tervals of  rest,  as   the  movements  of  the  army  trains 


200  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    Oli, 

required  them.  There  was  no  sleep,  even  after  that  hard- 
fought  battle  ;  no  real  rest  from  the  exciting  and  wearing 
events  of  the  day.  There  was  little  or  no  food  to  be 
had  ;  and  the  fainting  soldiers,  though  still  ready  to  fight 
and  march  in  their  weakness,  longed  for  the  repose  of  a 
few  hours  in  camp.  But  not  yet  was  the  boon  to  be 
granted.  On  the  following  morning,  our  regiment  arrived 
at  Malvern  Hills,  where  they  were  again  formed  in  line  of 
battle,  in  readiness  to  receive  the  menacing  hosts  of  the 
rebels. 

''We  arc  all  right  now,  Somcrs,"  said  Captain  de 
Banyan  while  they  were  waiting  for  the  onset. 

"  Not  quite  yet,  captain.  Don't  you  see  those  signal- 
flags  on  the  houses  yonder  ?  " 

"  They  mean  something,  of  course.  I  did  not  intend 
to  say  there  will  be  no  fighting ;  only,  that  we  have  a 
good  position,  and  all  the  rebels  in  the  Confederacy  can't 
start  us  now." 

"  Those  flags  indicate  that  the  rebels  are  moving." 

"Let  them  come  ;  the  sooner  the  better,  and  the  sooner 
it  will  be  over.  Hurrah  ! "  exclaimed  the  captain,  as 
the  inspiring  strains  of  the  band  in  the  rear  saluted 
his  ears. 

Cheer  after  cheer  passed  along  the  extended  lines  as 
the  notes  of  the  "Star-spangled  Banner"  thrilled  the 
hearts  of  the  weary,  fainting  soldiers.  The  bauds  had 
not  been  heard  during  the  operations  in  front  of  Rich- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         201 

mond ;  and  their  music,  as  Sergeant  Hapgood  expressed 
it,  "  sounded  like  home." 

''  That  does  me  good,  Somers,"  continued  the  captain. 
"  There's  nothing  like  music  for  the  nerves.  It  wakes 
men  up,  and  makes  them  forget  all  their  troubles.  For- 
ward, the  light  brigade  !  "  he  added,  flourishing  his  sword 
in  tlie  air.     "  I  suppose  you  know  that  poem,  Somers?  " 

*'0f  course  ;  I  know  it  by  heart ;  read  it  in  school  the 
last  day  I  ever  went." 

"  Did  you,  indeed  !  " 

"Nothing  very  singular  about  that,  is  there?" 

*' Rather  a  remarkable  coincidence,  I  should  say," 
replied  the  captain  Avith  easy  indifference,  as  he  twirled 
his  sword  on  the  ground. 

''  I  don't  see  it." 

"  You  read  the  poem  at  school,  and  I  was  in  that 
charge." 

''You?" 

"Yes,  my  boy  .  I  was  a  captain  in  that  brigade.  But 
what  called  the  circumstance  to  my  mind  w^as  the  music 
which  struck  up  just  now.  I  had  a  bugler  in  my  com- 
l)any  who  played '  Hail  Columbia'  during  the  whole  of  the 
fight." 

"  'Hail  Columbia'?"  demanded  Somers. 

"  Certainly  :  the  fellow  had  a  fancy  for  that  tune  ;  and, 
though  it  wasn't  exactly  a  national  thing  to  the  British 
army,  he  always  played  it  when  he  got  a  chance.     Well, 


202  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

sir,  1  think  that  bugler  did  more  than  any  other  man  in 
the  charge  of  the  light  brigade.  He  never  lost  a  note, 
and  it  fii-ed  the  men  up  to  the  pitch  of  frenzy." 

"  He  was  a  brave  fellow,"  replied  Somers  languidly  ; 
for  he  was  too  thoroughly  Avorn  out  to  appreciate  the 
stories  of  his  veteran  companion. 

"  He  was  the  most  determined  man  I  ever  met  in  my 
life.  He  was  killed  in  the  charge,  poor  fellow  ;  but  he 
liad  filled  his  bugle  so  full  of  wind,  that  the  music  did  not 
cease  till  full  five  minutes  after  he  was  stone-dead." 

"  Come,  come,  captain  !  that's  a  little  too  bad,"  said 
Somers  seriously. 

"Too  bad?  Well,  I  should  not  be  willing  to  take 
oath  that  the  time  was  just  five  minutes  after  the  bugler 
died.  I  did  not  take  out  my  watch,  and  time  it ;  and, 
of  course,  I  can  only  give  you  my  judgment  as  to  the 
precise  number  of  minutes." 

"  You  are  worse  than  Baron  Munchausen,  who  told  a 
story  something  like  that ;  only  his  was  the  more  reason- 
able of  the  two." 

"  Somers,  my  boy !  you  have  got  a  villanously  bad 
habit  of  discrediting  the  statements  of  a  brother-officer 
and  a  gentleman,"  said  Captain  de  Banyan  seriously. 

"And  you  have  got  a  bad  habit  of  telling  the  most 
abominable  stories  that  ever  proceeded  from  the  mouth 
of  any  man." 

"  We'll  drop  the  subject,  Somers  ;  for  such  discussions 


,THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.         203 

lead  to  impleasaut  results.  Do  you  see  that  rebel  bat- 
tery? "  added  the  captain,  pointing  to  a  road  a  mile  off, 
^vhere  the  enemy  had  taken  position  to  shell  the  Union 
line. 

''  I  see  it." 

The  rebel  battery  opened  fire,  which  was  vigorously 
answered  by  the  other  side.  The  scene  began  to  increase 
in  interest  as  the  cannonade  extended  along  the  whole 
line  ;  and,  through  the  entire  day,  there  raged  the  most 
furious  artillery  conflict  of  the  war.  The  rebel  masses 
were  hurled  time  after  time  against  the  Union  line  ;  but 
it  maintained  its  position  like  a  wall  of  iron,  while 
thousands  of  the  enemy  Avere  recklessly  sacrificed  in  the 

useless  assault.      General   M had  probably  drunk 

more  than  his  usual  quantity  of  whiskey  ;  and,  though  he 
was  as  brave  as  a  lion,  hundreds  of  his  men  paid  the 
penalty  with  their  lives  of  his  rashness  and  indis- 
cretion. 

Night  came  agaiji  upon  a  victorious  field,  while  hun- 
dreds of  weeping  mothers  in  the  neighboring  city  sighed 
for  the  sous  who  would  return  no  more  to  their  arms  ; 
and  while  mothers  wept,  fathers  groaned,  and  sisters 
moaned,  the  grand  army  of  the  Confederacy  had  been 
beaten,  and  the  proud  rulers  of  an  infatuated  people 
were  trembling  for  their  own  safety  in  the  presence  of 
the  ruin  with  which  defeat  threatened  them. 

After  the   battle  commenced   the  movement   of   the 


204  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

Army  of  the  Potomac  down  the  river  to  Harrison's  Land- 
ing. The  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the  single  road  was 
crowded  with  troops  and  wagons.  Though  the  exhausted 
soldiers  slept,  even  while  the  guns  of  the  enemy  roared 
in  front  of  them,  and  during  the  brief  halts  which  the 
confusion  in  the  road  caused,  there  was  no  real  repose. 
The  excitement  of  the  battle  and  the  retreat,  and  the  un- 
delinable  sense  of  insecurity  which  their  situation  en- 
gendered, banished  rest.  Tired  Nature  asserted  her 
claims,  and  the  men  yielded  to  them  only  Avhen  endu- 
rance had  reached  its  utmost  limit. 

At  Harrison's  Landing,  the  work  of  intrenching  the 
position  Avas  immediately  commenced  ;  and  it  was  some 
days  before  the  army  were  entirely  assured  that  defeat 
and  capture  were  not  still  possible.  The  failure  of  the 
campaign  was  not  without  its  effect  upon  the  troops. 
They  felt,  that,  instead  of  marching  under  their  victorious 
banners  into  the  enemy's  capital,  they  had  been  driven 
from  their  position.  It  was  not  disaster,  but  it  was 
failure.  Though  the  soldiers  were  still  in  good  con- 
dition, and  as  ready  as  ever  to  breast  the  storm  of 
battle,  they  were  in  a  measure  dispirited  by  the  mis- 
fortune. 

General  McClellan  and  General  Lee  had  each  failed 
to  accomplish  his  purpose.  It  was  the  intention  of  the 
latter  to  send  Stonewall  Jackson  into  the  rear  of  the 
Union  army,  cut  it  off  from  its  base  of   supplies,  and 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         205 

then   attack  in  front  and  on  the  left.     The   plan  was 
defeated  by  General  MeClellan's  change  of  base,  which 
was  forced  upon  him  by  the  cutting-off  of  his  communi- 
cations with  the  Pamunkey  River.     The  Union  generals, 
who  were  first  attacked  on  the  right,  supposed  they  were 
confronted   by  Jackson,  who  had   come   down  to  flank 
them   in    this    direction ;    while    Lee    intended   that   he 
should  attack  farther  down  the  Peninsula.  Each  command- 
ing general,  to  some  extent,  mistook  the  purpose  of  the 
other.    Whatever  errors  were  made  by  the  grand  players 
in  this  mighty  game,  about  one  thing  there   can  be  no 
mistake,  —  that  the  courage  and  fortitude  of  the  rank  and 
file  saved  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  and  pushed  aside  the 
mighty  disaster  in  which  its  ruin  would  have  involved 
the   country.     All   honor   to  the  unnamed  heroes  who 
fought  those  great  battles,  and  endured  hardships  which 
shall  thrill  the  souls  of  Americans  for  ages  to  come  ! 


206  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XVni. 

LIEUTENANT   SOMERS    HAS    A    NEW    SENSATION. 

y^ljb^HE  experience  of  the  soldiers  at  Harrison's  Land- 
§1 1  ^^c9  ^or  a  month  following  tlieir  arrival,  was  not 
\Zjy  of  the  most  agreeable  nature  ;  and  consisted  of 
too  large  a  proportion  of  exercise  with  pick  and 
shovel  to  be  very  pleasant  to  those  who  had  not  been 
accustomed  to  handling  these  useful  implements.  In- 
trenchments  and  batteries  were  constructed ;  and  the 
position  was  as  carefully  fortified  as  the  genius  of  the 
distinguished  engineer  in  command  could  suggest,  and 
as  thoroughly  as  though  he  expected  to  spend  the 
balance  of  the  term  of  his  natural  life  at  this  place. 

The  army  "was  soon  in  a  condition  to  defy  the  operations 
of  the  enemy,  who  were  wise  enough  not  to  molest  it. 
Somers,  in  common  with  the  rest  of  the  command, 
recovered  from  the  severe  trials  of  the  movement  from 
White-oak  Swamp,  and  again  longed  for  active  opera- 
tions. About  two  weeks  after  the  cessation  of  active 
operations,  the  official  documents  which  announced  his 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AJiMY   OFFICE  It.         207 

promotion  to  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant  came  down  to 
the  army  ;  but  this  was  a  foregone  conclusion.  He  had 
won  his  first  bar  by  his  scouting  services,  and  his  com- 
mission was  expected  for  a  fortnight  before  its  arrival. 
It  did  not,  therefore,  cause  him  any  surprise  ;  and  was 
so  small  an  elevation,  that  his  comrades  hardly  con- 
gratulated him  wpon  its  reception. 

A  fortnight  later,  there  came  a  startling  sensation  to 
thrill  him  with  satisfaction  and  delight.  An  orderly  from 
the  division  headquarters  summoned  him  to  attend  upon 
the  general.  The  message  startled  him  ;  for  it  indicated 
some  momentous  event  to  him,  and  he  hastily  prepared 
to  obey  the  order. 

"You  are  in  luck  again,"  said  De  Banyan,  grasping 
his  hand. 

"  Perhaps  not,"  replied  Somers,  be-vvildered  at  the 
suggestion. 

"  I  know  you  are,  my  dear  boy.  I  was  sent  for  just 
four  weeks  after  the  battle  of  Solferino,  and  made  a 
brigadier-general,"  persisted  the  captain. 

"  Ah  !  then  you  are  General  de  Banyan?" 

"  No,  no :  I  dropped  the  title  when  I  ceased  to  hold 
the  ofiice." 

"  That  was  modest,  general." 

"  Captain,  if  you  please." 

"  You  are  entitled  by  courtesy  to  the  use  of  the  title, 
and  you  shall  not  be  robbed  of  any  of  your  honors." 


208  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;     OR, 

"  As  a  particular  favor,  Somers,  never  call  me  gen- 
eral. I  do  not  wish  to  rise  above  my  actual  rank.  I 
have  never  mentioned  the  little  circumstance  of  my  pro- 
motion before.  Your  good  fortune  was  so  similar  to  my 
own,  that  I  was  surprised  into  doing  so." 

"  What  do  you  mean  by  my  good  fortune,  captain?" 

"  Why,  you  are  promoted  again.  I  will  bet  my  year's 
pay  you  have  had  another  lift." 

"  Nonsense  !  I  have  just  been  promoted." 

"  Bah  !  what  was  that  to  a  man  of  your  merit,  with  a 
senator  to  speak  at  court  for  you?  A  petty  first-lieu- 
tenancy is  nothing  for  a  brilliant  fellow  like  you." 

"  I  am  not  half  so  brilliant  a  fellow  as  you  declare, 
and  I  think  that  a  commission  as  first  lieutenant  is  a 
big  thing  for  a  young  man  like  me.  I'm  sure  I  never 
had  an  idea  of  being  an  officer  at  all ;  and,  when  I  was 
made  a  sergeant,  I  didn't  think  I  deserved  it." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  a  major-general  can  w^ant 
with  you  ?  You  have  heard  from  Senator  Guilford  once 
before,  and  I  am  satisfied  you  will  hear  from  him  again. 
Now,  Somers,  what  do  you  suppose  the  general  wants 
of  you?" 

"  I  don't  know  :  I  think  it  very  likely  he  wants  a  man 
of  my  size  to  go  up  the  river,  or  on  the  other  side,  scouting  ; 
nothing  more  than  that,  I  am  satisfied.  But  I  must  obey 
the  order,"  added  Somers,  who  had  been  making  his 
preparations  during  the  conversation. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ^LRMY   OFFICE li.         209 

"  Well,  good-by,  my  boy ;  and  I  shall  have  to  stand 
one  side  for  you  after  this,  and  salute  you  as  major." 

''As  what?" 

"  Major." 

"  How  absurd  you  are,  captain !  You  always  talk 
like  a  sensible  fellow;  that  is,  when  you  mean  what 
you  say." 

"  A  hard  hit ;  and  very  likely  the  first  thing  you  do, 
when  you  get  to  be  a  major,  will  be  to  arrest  me  for 
lying." 

"  Your  hit  is  the  hardest,  my  dear  captain.  We  have 
seen  some  hard  times  together ;  and  you  may  be  sure, 
that,  whatever  I  am,  I  shall  never  forget  you." 

"  That's  hearty,  my  boy !  Your  hand  once  more," 
replied  De  Banyan,  extending  his  own.  "After  the 
battle  of   Solferino  "  — 

"  Really,  captain,  you  must  excuse  me  this  time,  or 
the  general  will  put  me  under  arrest  for  my  want  of 
promptness,  instead  of  sending  me  on  special  duty." 

"Well,  good  luck  to  you,  Somers,"  said  the  captain,  as 
the  lieutenant  started  for  the  division  headquarters. 

As  he  passed  out  of  sight,  an  expression  of  sadness 
settled  down  upon  Captain  de  Banyan's  face.  He  looked 
disappointed  and  uncomfortable,  and  it  is  quite  probable 
that  he  envied  the  good  fortune  of  his  young  companion 
in  arms.  If  Somers  had  been  brave,  and  attentive  to  his 
duty,  he  had  been  no  less  so  himself :  and  he  could  not 
14 


210  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

help  feeling  that  the  destruction  of  those  railroad  cars 
had  made  the  young  man's  fortune ;  that  his  rapid 
advancement  was  a  mere  stroke  of  good  luck. 

Lieutenant  Somers,  wondering  what  could  possibly  be 
wanted  of  him,  hastened  to  the  headquarters  of  the 
division.  He  had  no  faith  whatever  in  the  prognosti- 
cations of  Captain  de  Banyan,  and  was  too  modest  to 
believe  that  he  had  done  any  thing  to  merit  another  pro- 
motion so  soon.  Recalling  the  incidents  of  his  career 
since  his  eventful  expedition  within  the  rebel  lines,  there 
was  nothing  in  his  conduct  to  merit  even  the  notice  of 
his  superiors,  unless  it  was  what  others  called  his  skill 
and  courage  in  rallying  the  broken  company  at  Glendale. 
He  had  been  warmly  praised  for  this  act ;  but  he  deemed 
it  of  little  importance,  for  the  memory  of  Williamsburg 
cast  into  the  shade  any  thing  that  had  occurred  to  him 
since  that  bloody  day. 

He  was  ushered  into  the  presence  of  the  general,  who 
gave  him  the  kindly  welcome  which  he  always  bestowed 
upon  those  of  humble  rank.  Now,  Somers  cherished 
an  intense  admiration  for  this  distinguished  officer,  and 
esteemed  it  a  greater  honor  to  stand  in  his  presence  than 
in  that  of  the  most  powerful  sovereign  of  the  earth. 

"Lieutenant  Somers?"  said  the  general,  extending  his 
hand ;  a  piece  of  condescension  which  made  our  officer 
blush,  and  appear  as  awkward  as  a  country  school- 
boy. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         211 

"  Yes,  sir  ;  thank  you,  sir,"  stammered  Somers,  as  he 
took  the  proffered  hand. 

''  You  behaved  well  at  Glendale,  Somers,"  said  the 
general  bluntly. 

"  I  endeavored  to  do  my  duty,  general." 

"  You  did  well  on  that  scout,  too  ;  and  I'm  going  to 
send  you  out  on  another,  if  you  have  any  fancy  for  such 
work," 

"  I  will  do  the  best  I  can." 

"  But,  my  brave  fellow,  I  Avish  you  to  be  very  careful ; 
for  we  can't  afford  to  lose  officers  like  you." 

''  I  am  always  careful,  general,"  said  Som^s  with  a 
smile. 

*'  Can  you  handle  a  boat?" 

*'  Yes,  sir  :  I  was  brought  up  among  boats." 

"  You  will  go  over  the  river.  There  is  rebel  cavalry 
over  there,  and  very  likely  a  considerable  force  of 
infantry.  I  am  inclined  to  think  they  are  building 
batteries  in  the  woods,  to  close  up  the  navigation  of 
the  river,  or  perhaps  to  shell  us  out  of  our  position. 
In  a  word,  I  am  instructed  to  solve  the  problem,  and  I 
have  selected  you  to  do  the  wor^.  What  do  you 
say?"  I 

"  I  am  all  ready,  sir,  to  undertake  that,  or  any  service 
to  which  I  may  be  ordered." 

'•Tliat's  the  right  spirit.  Captain  Somers  ;  and  I  thank 
you  for  the  promptness  with  which  you  enter  into  my 


212  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OU, 

plans.  I  am  satisfied,  captain,  that  you  will  discharge 
the  duty  to  my  entire  satisfaction.'* 

''  Thank  you,  sir." 

"  "Well,  Captain  Somers,  you  shall  take  what  force 
you  think  necessary.  As  it  will  not  be  prudent  for  you 
to  go  over  before  dark,  you  may  make  up  your  plan,  and 
I  will  listen  to  tlie  details  before  you  go.  How  many 
boats  shall  you  want,  captain?" 

"  Only  one,  sir,"  replied  Somers  promptly  ;  though  he 
was  wondering  with  all  his  might  how  the  general  hap- 
pened to  make  so  many  blunders  in  regard  to  his  military 
title,  for  li«  had  called  him  captain  four  or  five  times. 

"Only  one?  You  will  need  force  enough  to  protect 
you,  captain,"  replied  the  general. 

Captain  again  ! 

*'I  do  not  intend  to  fight  the  whole  rebel  army,  if  it 
is  over  there.  I  do  not  propose  to  take  more  than  half 
a  dozen  men  with  me." 

"  I  think  that  is  a  sensible  view  of  the  enterprise  ;  for 
the  more  men  you  take,  the  greater  your  chances  of  being 
discovered.     Select  your  own  men.  Captain  Somers." 

Captain  Somers  I  The  general  had  certainly  forgotten 
that  he  was  only  a  first  lieutenant,  or  else  he  was 
amusing  himself  at  his  modest  subordinate's  expense. 

"  I  knoAV  of  several  men  in  our  regiment  who  are  just 
what  I  want,"  replied  Somers,  hardly  able  to  speak  from 
embarrassment,  on  account  of  the  general's  often-repeated 
mistake. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         213 

"  Very  well :  you  shall  have  the  necessary  authority 
to  select  whom  you  please.  You  may  go  now,  and 
arrange  your  plans." 

Somers  saluted  the  general,  and  was  about  to  retire, 
when  the  thought  occurred  to  him  that  he  might  at  least 
gratify  his  friend  Captain  de  Banyan,  and  perhaps  bring 
him  favorably  to  the  general's  notice. 

''May  I  be  allowed  to  select  an  ofl&cer  to  go  vdi\\ 
me?"  he  asked. 

"  Certainly,  if  you  desire ;  but  you  will  remember 
that  you  are  a  young  officer,  going  out  on  difficult  and 
dangerous  service,  and  that  officers  will  not  be  so 
obedient  as  privates,"  suggested  the  general.  "Whom 
do  you  desire  to  go  with  you?" 

"  Captain  de  Banyan,  of  our  regiment." 

"  Captain !  Why,  then  he  will  be  your  equal  in  rank, 
and,  by  priority  of  commission,  your  superior." 

'•'  We  shall  agree  remarkably  well,  general,  though  he 
is  my  superior  in  rank,  without  regard  to  dates,"  replied 
Somers,  who  by  this  time  had  come  to  the  conclusion 
that  the  general  meant  something  by  calling  him 
captain. 

"  No  :  you  are  both  captains,"  added  the  general  with 
apparent  indifference. 

"  I  beg  your  pardon,  general :  you  have  probably  for- 
gotten that  the  commission  which  was  forwarded  to  me 
only  about  two  weeks  ago  was  that  of  first  lieutenant." 


214  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  I  remember  all  about  it,  Captain  Somers  ;  but,  by 
the  time  you  reach  your  quarters,  there  will  be  another 
commission  there  for  you.  By  the  way,  captain,  do  you 
remember  Senator  Guilford  ?  " 

"  I  do,  general :  I  have  good  reason  to  remember  him  ; 
for  he  takes  a  deep  interest  in  my  affairs,"  replied 
Somers,  whose  brown  face  was  red  with  blushes. 

"Has  a  pretty  daughter,  hasn't  he?  Fell  out  of  a 
raikoad  car  and  broke  her  arm,  didn't  she  ? " 

"  That  was  the  only  time  I  ever  saw  her,  general," 
stammered  Somers  ;  "and  probably  I  shall  never  see  her 
again." 

"Why,  you  are  as  cold-blooded  as  a  frog!  Why 
don't  you  vnrite  to  the  damsel,  and  tell  her  you  are  still 
alive,  if  you  can't  think  of  any  thing  else  to  say?" 

"  I  don't  like  to  curry  favor  with  gi-eat  folks." 

"  I  like  that,  captain.  But  you  must  attend  to  your 
duty  now.  You  may  have  Captain  de, — what's  his 
name,  —  if  you  like." 

"  Captain  de  Banyan,  sir.  He  is  a  brave  and  noble 
fellow." 

"  Your  friend,  eh?  " 

"  Yes,  sir." 

"Well,  I  remember  him.  He  is  certainly  a  brave 
fellow;  for  I  noticed  him  at  Glendale." 

"  At  Oak  Grove  he  captured  the  enemy's  sharp- 
shooters, who  were  lodged  in  the  old  house." 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.        215 

"  I  thought  you  did  that." 

''  No,  sir  :  I  was  under  Captain  de  Banyan's  orders  at 
the  time." 

"I  see ;  and  I  will  remember  that,  Captain  Somers. 
By  the  way,  it  would  be  well  for  you  to  write  to  Senator 
Guilford,  just  to  inform  him  of  your  promotion.  He 
has  done  good  service  for  you,  though  I  have  no  hesita- 
tion in  saying  your  promotion  would  have  been  certain 
without  his  aid." 

*' Thank  you,  general,"  replied  Somers,  who  fully 
understood  the  meaning  of  that  significant  remark. 

TVe  regret  that  the  good  conduct  of  our  hero  has 
destroyed  the  fitness  of  the  title  which  we  had  chosen 
for  our  humble  volume ;  but  we  will  venture  to  say 
that  our  sympathizing  readers  will  rejoice  with  him  in 
his  advancement. 

Captain  Somers !  The  idea  seemed  to  him  as  big  as 
a  mountain,  when  he  withdrew  from  the  presence  of  the 
general,  who  evidently  experienced  a  deep  satisfaction  in 
the  result  of  his  recommendation  to  the  authorities,  and 
had  humorously  chosen  this  method  of  communicating 
the  welcome  news.  The  earth  seemed  to  be  as  elastic  as 
India-rubber  under  the  feet  of  the  new-made  captain,  as 
he  hastened  back  to  the  camp  of  the  regiment. 

He  could  hardly  believe  his  senses  :  it  was  so  strange 
that  a  young  man  like  him  should  attain  to  this  high 
rank.     He  wanted  to  "crow;"  and  perhaps  he  would 


216  TUB    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    Oli, 

liave  done  so,  if  lie  had  not  considered  that  lie  must 
maintain  the  dignity  of  his  new  office. 

"  Captain  Somers,  I  greet  you  !  "  exclaimed  De  Ban- 
yan on  his  return  to  camp. 

"  Who  told  you  I  was  a  captain?"  laughed  Somers 

"  This  document,"  replied  he,  handing  him  tlie  pon- 
derous official  envelope.  "  I  congi-atulate  you,  my  boy  ; 
though  I'm  rather  disappointed  to  find  you  are  not  a 
major." 

"  Nonsense,  captain  !  I  would  have  declined  a  major's 
commission." 

''Declined  it!  "  gasped  De  Banyan.  ^'Well,  I  don't 
know  but  you  would.  You  are  the,  only  officer  I  ever 
knew  to  decline  a  glass  of  wine,  and  I  don't  know  but 
you  would  decline  a  major's  commission." 

"  I  certainly  would.  Wliy,  I'm  only  a  boy ;  and  I 
don't  know  but  I  ought  to  decline  even  a  captain's  com- 
mission.    I'm  only  eighteen  years  old." 

"What  of  that?  There's  the  Fourth  Vermont  over 
there,  —  the  colonel  of  that  regiment  isn't  twenty-one  yet, 
and  there  isn't  a  better  or  braver  officer  in  the  army.  If 
you  decline,  I'll  cross  you  off  from  my  list  of  friends. 
^Yliy,  at  Balaclava,  when  I  was  "  — 

"  Balaclava  and  blarney  ! "  exclaimed  Somers  impa- 
tiently. 

"  I  was  only  going  to  say,  that  I  was  but  seventeen 
when  I  was  made  a  captain  in  the  British  army." 


THE   ADVENTVllES    OF  AX  AJLM V   OFFICER.         217 

*'  I  have  bccu  a  brigadier  iu  my  own  imagination,  just 
as  you  -were  a  captaiu,  when  you  "vvere  seventeen.  But 
never  miud  tluit :  I  tun  going  on  a  scout ;  have  got  my 
orders." 

*^Ali,  my  hoy!  you  are  going  to  celebrate  the 
arrival  of  your  commission  by  active  duty.  I  wish 
the  generals  would  think  of  me  when  they  want  some- 
thing handsome  done." 

"AMiat  do  you  say  to  going  with  me?" 

"  I  would  thank  my  stars  for  the  chance." 

*'  Well,  then  I  have  orders  for  you." 

"  Somers,  my  dear  fellow,  you  touch  my  heart- 
strings! "  cried  the.. captain,  jumping  up,  and  throw- 
imr  his  arms  around  Somers  in  the  most  extravagant 
manner. 

"  On  one  condition,"  added  Captain  Somers. 

"  Any  condition  you  please." 

"  You  are  my  superior  ;  but  "  — 

"  I  know  all  about  it.  I  will  go  as  a  volunteer,  and 
you  shall  command  the  expedition." 

"  We  will  work  together." 

"  With  all  my  heart." 

Somers  then  selected  six  men  for  the  service,  with 
special  reference  to  their  skill  as  boatmen,  and  ordered 
them  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  duty.  As 
there  were  still  several  hours  to  spare  before  dark,  he 
used  a  portion  of  this  time  in  writing  a  letter  to  liis 


218  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    O/:, 

mother,  informing  her  of  the  remarkable  fortune  that 
had  attended  him ;  and  another  to  Senator  Guilford, 
thanking  him  for  the  kind  interest  he  had  manifested 
in  his  welfare,  in  the  postscript  of  which  he  wrote  the 
history  of  Captain  de  Banyan's  valuable  services,  and 
modestly  added  that  any  favor  conferred  on  his  friend 
would  ever  be  gratefully  remembered  by  the  writer. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AJiMY   OFFICER.        219 


CHAPTER    XIX. 


OVER   THE   RIVER. 


^^  APTAIN  SOMERS,  as  we  are  hereafter  to  call 
/  I  him,  was  proud  and  happy  in  the  distinction 
\^Jy  which  had  been  bestowed  upon  him ;  but  he 
had  some  doubts  whether  he  had  fully  earned 
his  promotion.  He  had  done  as  much  as  any,  and  more 
than  some.  Yet  it  seemed  to  him  just  as  though 
nothing  short  of  the  capture  or  annihilation  of  a  whole 
brigade  of  the  enemy's  forces  could  entitle  him  to  such  a 
distinguished  honor,  especially  as  he  was  only  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  afraid  that  Senator  Guilford  had 
exerted  too  much  influence  in  his  favor  ;  but  the  general 
of  the  division  had  assured  him  he  had  won  his  pro- 
motion, and  would  have  received  it  in  time,  even  with- 
out the  powerful  aid  of  the  honorable  gentleman  at 
Washington. 

This  thought  comforted  him ;  and  he  only  hoped  that 
his  friend  De  Banyan  would  be  as  highly  favored  as  he 
had  been.  The  valiant  captain,  in  spite  of  his  glaring 
faults,  was  a  good  fellow,  a  fine  officer,  and  very  popular 
with  his  inferiors  as  well  as  his  superiors.     He  had 


220  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

become  very  much  attached  to  Somers,  and  had  proved  by 
many  substantial  acts  that  he  was  animated  by  a  warm 
regard  for  him.  Tliough  he  talked  a  great  deal  about 
the  favor  of  high  officials  in  securing  his  promotion,  lie 
had  never  hinted  a  wish  that  Somers  should  attempt  to 
influence  his  powerful  friend  to  do*  any  thing  for  him. 

Somers  said  nothing  to  the  captain  about  the  letter  he 
had  written.  If  any  thing  was  done,  he  wished  to  have 
liis  friend  surprised  as  he  had  been.  But  he  had  only 
slight  hopes  that  any  thing  would  be  accomplished  by  his 
application.  Though  Captain  de  Banyan  had  always 
behaved  well  in  battle,  and  had  always  faithfully  dis- 
charged his  duties  in  the  camp  and  on  the  march,  there 
was  something  like  a  mystery  hanging  about  him,  which 
liad  a  tendency  to  prejudice  the  officers  against  liim. 
While  they  admired  his  bravery,  and  enjoyed  his  society, 
there  was  a  certain  lack  of  confidence,  resulting  from  a 
want  of  knowledge  of  his  antecedents. 

De  Banyan  always  evaded  any  allusion  to  his  former 
residence  or  occupation.  He  desired  to  be  regarded  as  a 
soldier  of  fortune,  who  had  fought  with  every  nation  that 
had  a  quarrel  with  its  neighbors.  TTliere  he  was  born, 
where  he  had  lived,  or  how  he  obtained  his  commission, 
were  secrets  locked  up  in  his  own  breast.  Somers  had 
some  doubts  in  regard  to  him,  and  was  constantly  afraid 
that  he  should  hear  more  of  the  captain  than  it  would  be 
pleasant  to  know. 


TUE   ^WVENTURES   OF  AN  Aliiir   OFFICE Ji.         221 

Captain  Somers  reported  his  arrangements  in  due 
form  to  the  general,  and  they  were  approved.  About  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  he,  with  his  little  party,  embarked 
on  the  river,  and  the  rowers  pulled  towards  the  opposite 
shore.  Of  course,  it  Avas  necessary  to  use  the  utmost 
caution  ;  for  a  rebel  picket  on  the  opposite  bank  of  the 
river  might  suddenly  put  an  end  to  the  career  of  some 
of  the  party. 

''  I  think  we  are  making  a  mistake.  Captain  Somers," 
said  De  Banyan  in  a  whisper,  when  they  had  gone  about 
half  way  across  the  river. 

*'  So  do  I ;  but  it  is  not  too  late  to  correct  the  error," 
replied  Somers,  as  he  tm-ned  the  bow  of  the  boat  down 
the  river. 

"  I  believe  you  are  my  double,  Somers  ;  for  you  know 
my  thoughts  before  I  utter  them." 

"  I  was  just  thinking,  when  you  spoke,  that  we  were 
running  into  a  nest  of  the  enemy." 

"'Just  before  the  battle  of  the  Alma,  I  went  on  just 
such  an  expedition  as  this  :  but  we  went  down  the  river 
beyond  the  enemy's  lines,  and  doubled  up  in  the  rear  of 
them  ;  thus  finding  out  all  we  wanted  to  know." 

"  That  is  what  I  propose  to  do." 

"  Captain  Brickfield  and  myself  landed,  and  walked 
sixty-four  miles  between  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  and 
four  o'clock  in  the  morning,"  added  Captain  de  Banyan. 

"How  far?" 


222  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT ;    OR. 

"  Sixty-four  miles." 

"  Good  !  "  exclaimed  Somers.  "  Did  you  walk  all  the 
way?" 

"  Every  step." 

"It  was  tip-top  walking,  De  Banyan,  —  a  little  more 
than  nine  miles  an  hour." 

"  Do  you  doubt  the  story?" 

"  I  don't  doubt  that  it  is  a  story." 

"  Now,  that  isn't  kind  of  you,  Somers,  to  be  perpetually 
throwing  discredit  upon  every  thing  I  say,"  replied  the 
captain,  apparently  much  hurt. 

"You  mustn't  say  such  things,  then.  You  don't  ex- 
pect any  man  in  his  senses  to  believe  that  you  walked 
over  nine  miles  an  hour,  and  followed  it  for  seven 
hours  ?  " 

"  I  was  tougher  then  than  I  am  now." 

"  And  you  can  tell  a  tougher  story  now  than  you 
could  then,  I'll  warrant." 

"  There  it  is  again  !  "        • 

"  Xow,  my  dear  fellow,  I'm  afraid  you  will  die  with 
an  enormous  fib  in  your  mouth." 

"  Come,  Somers,  you  are  taking  a  mean  advantage 
of  my  friendship.  You  know  that  I  like  you  too  well 
to  quarrel  with  you." 

"  Silence  !  "  said  Somers  earnestly.  "  There  is  a  boat 
coming  out  from  the  rebel  side  of  the  river." 

The  water  was  covered  with  vessels  of  every  descrip- 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         223 

tion  in  the  vicinity  of  Harrison's  Landing ;  and  the  boat 
had  just  emerged  from  this  forest  of  masts  and  smoke- 
stacks. It  was  time  to  be  entirely  silent  again  ;  for  the 
rebels  were  on  the  alert  in  every  direction,  watching  to 
strike  a  blow  at  the  grand  army,  or  to  pick  up  individual 
stragglers  who  might  fall  in  their  way.  The  boat  which 
Somers  had  discovered  was  approaching  from  the  rebel 
side  of  the  river ;  and  to  be  seen,  by  the  enemy,  at  this 
point  of  the  proceedings,  would  be  fatal  to  the  expe- 
dition. 

"  Who  goes  there  ?  "  said  a  man  in  the  rebel  boat. 

*'  Friends  !  "  replied  Somers. 

"  Who  are  ye  ?  " 

The  tones  were  so  unmistakably  Southern,  that  there 
could  be  no  question  in  regard  to  the  party  to  which  the 
boat  belonged. 

"  Officers  examining  the  enemy's  lines,"  replied 
Somers. 

At  the  same  time  he  ordered  his  crew  to  pull,  and 
steered  the  boat  so  as  to  run  her  alongside  the  other. 
On  tlie  way,  he  whispered  to  the  men  his  instructions  ; 
and,  as  soon  as  they  were  near  enough,  they  leaped  on 
board  the  rebel  boat,  and  captured  her  astonished  crew 
before  they  had  time  to  make  any  resistance.  No  doubt 
they  thought  this  was  very  rude  treatment  to  receive 
from  the  hands  of  those  who  professed  to  be  their 
friends ;  but  they  had  discovered  their  mistake  by  this 


224  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

time,  and  it  aiforded  a  sufficient  explanation  of  the 
seeming  inconsistency. 

The  capture  of  this  boat  involved  the  necessity  of 
returning  to  the  nearest  steamer  in  the  river  to  dispose 
of  the  prisoners.  On  the  way  back,  Somers  and  De 
Banyan  conversed  -svitli  the  rebels  on  general  topics ; 
for  the  latter  refused  to  say  any  thing  Avhich  could  be 
of  service  to  their  enemy.  After  the  captives  had  been 
delivered  on  board  the  steamer,  our  party  decided  to 
take  the  boat  which  had  been  captured,  instead  of  the 
one  they  had  brought  from  the  landing ;  for  there  were 
some  peculiarities  in  its  construction,  which  made  it 
a  safer  conveyance  in  rebel  w^aters  than  the  other,  the 
approach  of  which  would  excite  suspicion  if  seen. 

Again  they  pulled  down  the  river,  and  passed  the  point 
from  beyond  which  the  rebel  boat  had  approached  them. 
The  shore  vC'^as  probably  lined  with  pickets ;  and  the 
wisdom  of  exchanging  the  boats  was  now  more  apparent 
to  them  than  before.  Somers  steered  into  a  little  inlet 
or  bay  beyond  the  point,  and  at  the  head  of  it  found  a 
creek  flowing  into  the  river.  It  was  vd&o.  and  deep  at 
the  outlet ;  ,and  he  decided  to  ascend  it. 

"  How  was  it,  Andy?"  said  a  voice  from  the  shore, 
after  the  boat  had  advanced  a  few  rods  up  the  creek. 

"  All  right !  "  replied  Somers  at  a  venture  ;  though  he 
was  somewhat  startled  by  the  question. 

"Have  the  Yankees  any  picket-boats  out?"  demanded 
the  man  on  shore. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         225 

"  Haven't  seen  any." 
"  How  far  up  have  you  been  ?  " 

*'Ab(3ut  two  miles,"  ansAvered  Somers,  continually 
cougliiog  to  account  for  any  change  in  his  voice  which 
might  be  apparent  to  his  friend  on  shore. 

''The  lire-steamer  is  all  ready,"  added  the  voice  ;  " and 
it  is  about  time  to  go  to  work." 

"  The  fire-steamer  !  "  exclaimed  Somers  in  a  low  tone. 
"  They  are  going  to  burn  the  vessels  in  the  river," 
added  De  Banyan. 
"What  shall  we  do?" 

'•We  must  stop  their  fun  at  all  hazards,"  replied  the 
valiant  captain  promptly. 

"  What  are  you  stopping  there  for,  Andy?  Why  don't 
you  pull  up  the  creek?"  continued  the  man  on-shore. 

"  My  name  isn't  Andy,"  said  Somers  ;  "  and  I  don't 
fully  understand  this  business." 

"  Who  are  you,  then  ?  "  replied  the  rebel.  "  What  has 
become  of  Andy  ?  " 

"  He  has  got  another  job,  and  sent  me  to  do  this  one," 
answered  Somers,  whose  ready  wit  had  adopted  a  plan 
to  defeat  the  purpose  of  the  enemy. 
"Who  are  you?" 

"  Tom  Leathers.  Andy  sent  me  up  to  attend  to  this 
matter.    Where  is  the  fire-steamer?" 

"  About  half  a  mile  farther  up  the  creek.  But  where 
is  Andy  ?  " 

15 


226  TEE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  Some  general  sent  for  him ;  and  he  has  gone  to 
Richmond.  I  reckon  the  iron-clad's  coming  doAvn 
soon." 

"  Can  you  take  care  of  the  steamer?" 

"  Certainly  I  can." 

"  Are  you  a  pilot  ?  " 

"  Pilot  enough  for  this  business." 

*'  I  understand  it  all.  Andy  was  afraid  to  do  this  job, 
and  has  backed  out." 

"  I  only  know  what  he  said  to  me,"  replied  Somers 
innocently. 

"  Well,  pull  up  the  creek,  and  don't  waste  any  more 
time  in  talking  about  it." 

"  I  haven't  wasted  any  time.  You  have  done  all  the 
talking  yourself,"  replied  Somers,  who  thought  he  should 
not  be  a  consistent  Southerner  if  he  did  not  growl. 

Somers  directed  the  men  to  pull  again,  and  the  boat 
advanced  up  the  creek  till  the  steamer  appeared.  She 
was  a  small,  worn-out  old  craft,  which  had  probably 
dodged  into  the  creek  when  the  Union  fleet  came  up  the 
river.  The  man  who  had  spoken  from  the  shore  reached 
the  place  almost  as  soon  as  the  boat.  He  was  dressed  in 
the  gray  of  the  Confederate  army,  and  was  evidently  an 
officer  detailed  to  perform  the  duty  of  fitting  out  the  fire- 
ship. 

"  This  is  a  most  remarkable  proceeding  on  the  part  of 
the  pilot,"  said  the  officer. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         227 

"  I  can't  help  it.  You  needn't  growl  at  me  about  it. 
If  you  don't  want  me,  I  don't  want  the  job,"  replied 
Somers  sourly. 

"  Don't  be  impudent  to  me,"  added  the  officer. 

''  And  don't  you  be  impudent  to  me,"  said  Somers. 
*'  I'm  not  one  of  your  men." 

"  Silence  !  or  I  shall  put  you  under  arrest." 

"  No,  you  won't." 

*'  Do  you  know  the  channel  of  the  river?" 

"  Of  course  I  do.  TVhat  do  you  suppose  Andy  sent 
me  here   for?"  snarled  Somers. 

"Keep  a  civil  tongue  in  your  head,  man.'* 

"  You  had  better  show  me  how  to  do  it  first.  Come, 
Graves,"  he  added,  turning  to  De  Banyan,  "  we  are 
not  wanted  here,  and  we  will  go  home  again." 

""SMio  is  that  man  w^ith  you?" 

*'  Graves." 

*'  Where  did  you  get  all  these  men?" 

"  They  came  with  me  to  see  the  fun,  and  help  the 
thing  along." 

The  officer  stepped  on  board  of  the  steamer,  and 
Somers  and  De  Banyan  joined  him  on  the  deck. 

"  I  think  I've  seen  you  somewhere." 

"  I  think  very  likely  :  I  was  there  once." 

"  You  are  a  crusty  young  cub ;  but  it  may  be  you 
know  your  duty." 

''  Of  course  I  do  ;  and  as  for  being  crusty,  I  treated 
you  like  a  gentleman  till  you  began  to  snarl  at  me." 


228  THE    TOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"Well,  well,  my  friend,  we  will  rub  but  the  past,  and 
begin  again,"  said  the  officer  pleasantly. 

"  With  all  my  heart,  if  you  say  so,"  replied  Somers 
with  equal  suavity. 

*'  This  is  a  very  important  enterprise,  and  we  want  to 
teach  the  Yankees  that  it  will  be  better  for  them  to  stay 
at  home  next  time  they  want  to  come  do^vn  South. 
What  is  your  name?" 

"  Tom  Leathers.  What's  yours?  Andy  told  me  ;  but 
I've  forgotten." 

"  Captain  Osborn." 

The  rebel  officer  proceeded  to  give  the  supposed  pilot 
very  full  instructions  in  regard  to  the  steamer,  which 
was  to  be  run  up  the  river  to  City  Point,  set  on  fire,  and 
then  abandoned  to  float  with  the  current  through  the 
thickest  of  the  Federal  fleet,  blowing  up  gunboats,  and 
consuming  transports  by  the  hundred.  The  fire-steamer 
had  been  loaded  with  pitch-wood,  tar,  pitch,  and  turpen- 
tine ;  and  Captain  Osborn  was  satisfied  that  the  plan,  if 
thoroughly  carried  out,  would  cause  tremendous  havoc 
among  the  Yankee  vessels.  He  rubbed  his  hands  with 
delight  as  he  contemplated  the  prospect  of  driving  the 
"  Hessian  "  fleet  from  the  river,  and  starving  the  Union 
army  out  of  its  position. 

An  engineer  and  two  firemen,  whom  they  found  on  board 
the  steamer,  Avere  all  the  crew  she  had,  and  all  she 
needed  besides  the  pilot.     They  had  got  up  steam,  and 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         229 

the  vessel  was  all  ready  to  move  on  her  errand  of  destruc- 
tion when  the  word  should  be  given. 

"  Now  you  are  all  ready,"  said  Captain  Osborn  when 
he  had  completed  his  instructions.  ''  You  will  hoist  the 
American  flag,  and  pretend  you  are  a  Yankee,  if  they 
attempt  to  stop  you  on  your  way  up  the  river." 

"  I  can  do  that  to  a  charm,"  replied  Somers.  "I  am 
all  ready.  Where  is  Graves?  Hallo,  Graves!"  he 
shouted,  when  he  found  that  his  companion  had  left  his 
side  to  take  a  look  at  the  other  parts  of  the  steamer. 

"Here  I  am,  Tom,"  answered  Graves,  emerging  from 
the   engine-room,  where  he  had  been  talking  with  the 
presiding  genius  of  that  department. 
"  Run  up  the  colors." 
"  Ay,  ay,  sir  !  "  replied  De  Banyan. 
The  colors  went  up,  and  other  preparations  w^ere  made 
for  the  great  enterprise. 

"  Cast  off  that  stern  line  !  "  said  Somers.  "  Make 
fast  your  painter  on  the  port  quarter,"  he  added  to  the 
man  in  the  boat ;  and  no  doubt,  by  this  time.  Captain 
Osborn  was  fully  satisfied  that  he  was  perfectly  familiar 
with  the  management  of  a  steamer. 

Now,  Somers  was  very  well  satisfied  that  he  should 
run  the  steamer  aground  before  he  rounded  the  first 
point  in  the  river,  and  he  had  wisely  concluded  not  to 
undertake  so  rash  an  enterprise.  Besides,  he  did  not 
come  over  there  to  be  the  skipper  of  a  steamer :  he  had 


230  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

other  and  even  more  important  duties  to  perform.  He 
was  much  more  interested  in  certain  rebel  batteries 
which  were  believed  to  be  in  process  of  construction 
farther  up  the  river.  But  Captain  Osborn  was  an 
unreasonable  man,  and  demanded  the  execution  of  his 
plan.  He  was  determined  to  see  a  conflagration,  and 
Somers  was  equally  determined  to  gratify  him. 

Our  pilot  discovered  the  value  of  his  limited  nautical 
experience  in  Pinchbrook  Harbor  ;  for  it  enabled  him  to 
convince  the  rebel  officer  that  he  was  a  full-fledged 
"salt,"  and  was  entirely  at  home  on  the  deck  of  any 
vessel  that  could  float  in  the  waters  of  the  James.  The 
stem-line  and  the  bow-line  were  cast  off;  and  Somers 
stood  in  the  little  wheel-house,  ready  to  ring  the  bells. 
Captain  Osborn  had  just  stepped  on  shore,  intending  to 
mount  his  horse  and  ride  up  the  river,  where  he  could 
see  the  conflagration  when  it  came  off. 

Just  then,  there  was  a  tremendous  commotion  among 
the  firemen  and  engineer  ;  and,  a  moment  later,  a  broad, 
bright  sheet  of  flame  rose  from  the  heap  of  combustibles 
in  the  after-part  of  the  steamer. 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         231 


CIIArXER    XX. 

CAPTAIN   DE    BAXYAN   FIXDS    AN   OLD    FRIEND. 

J/\  OTH  Somers  and  De  Banyan  flew  to  the  rescue, 
and  made  a  most  enthusiastic  attempt  to  check 
the  fire  ;  but  the  raging  element  was  now  past 
control.  The  flames  spread  through  the  combus- 
tible material  which  had  been  stored  on  the  deck  ;  and 
thej  were  compelled  to  abandon  the  ill-starred  steamer 
with  the  utmost  precipitation,  in  order  to  save  their  own 
lives. 

De  Banyan  had  rolled  up  an  old  newspaper,  making 
of  it  a  kind  of  torch,  some  three  feet  in  length,  which 
he  had  inserted  in  a  mass  of  pitch-wood  shavin^-s,  and 
set  the  end  on  fire.  It  had  burned  lono*  enouo"h  to 
remove  suspicion  from  him  ;  and,  when  the  pilot  and 
crew  went  on  shore.  Captain  Osborn  had  no  idea  of 
the  trick  of  which  he  had  been  made  the  victim.  Our 
scouts  kept  up  appearances  in  the  most  remarkable 
manner,  and  Somers  was  only  afraid  that  his  zealous 
companion  would  overdo  the  matter. 

"What   do   you   mean   by   that,    Captain    Osborn?" 


232  THE    TOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

demanded  Somers,  as  he  shook  the  cinders  from  his 
clothes  in  the  presence  of  the  rebel  officer.  "  Did  you 
intend  to  sacrifice  our  lives?" 

*' Yes  ;  bum  us  up  before  we  had  time  to  leave  the  old 
hulk!"  added  De  Banyan  furiously.  "I  thought  we 
were  to  light  the  fire  ourselves." 

*'  I  didn't  do  it,"  replied  Captain  Osborn. 

*'You  didn't?  Who  did  do  it,  then?"  persisted 
Somers. 

"  I  don't  know." 

"  Well,  I  don't  know ;  but,  in  my  opinion,  you  did  it 
yourself." 

"You  are  an  idiot !  Do  you  think  I  would  destroy  the 
work  of  my  own  hands  ?  "  added  the  rebel  warmly. 

"Well,  I  supposed  you  fired  the  train  so  as  to  be  sure 
the  thing  was  done  right." 

"  You  are  a  fool,  or  else  you  didn't  suppose  any  such 
thing." 

"  I  didn't  know  but  you  had  one  of  those  clock 
machines,  that  touch  a  thing  off  at  a  certain  time. 
Well,  how  did  it  happen,  then?" 

"  I  don't  know ;  perhaps  from  a  spark  from  the  fire. 
No  matter  how  it  was  done  now.  It  is  done,  and  can't 
be  helped.  I  have  lost  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  half 
the  Yankee  fleet  burnt  up.  I  would  rather  have  given 
a  year's  pay  than  have  had  this  accident  liappen." 

"  Haven't  they  got  most  ready  for  the  Yankee  fleet 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         233 

above     here  ? "    asked     Somers    as     carelessly    as     lie 
could. 

^*  What  do  you  mean?" 
i     "  They  are  building  batteries  up  above,  to  knock  the 
Yankees  into  pieces,  aren't  they?" 

"  Perhaps  they  are." 

"Well,  Captain  Osborn,  I  don't  believe  your  plan 
would  have  succeeded  if  the  steamer  hadn't  caught 
afire." 

"  Don't  you  :  why  not  ?  " 

"  Suppose  the  Yankees  had  stopped  us  on  our  way  up, 
and  come  on  board  the  steamer.  Don't  you  think  they 
would  have  known  what  she  was  for?" 

"  Perhaps  they  would.'* 

"  Of  course  they  would.  Why  didn't  you  fit  out  your 
steamer  up  the  river  ?  " 

"  We  haven't  so  many  steamers  that  we  can  afibrd  to 
burn  them  up.  We  took  this  one  because  she  hap- 
pened to  be  in  the  creek,  where  the  Yankees  could  cap- 
ture her  at  any  time  they  pleased." 

'^It  wouldn't  need  a  steamer  above  the  fleet;  a  raft 
would  do  just  as  well.  I  think  I  shall  go  up  the  river, 
and  see  what  can  be  done. — Well,  boys,"  added 
Somers  to  the  men  in  the  boat,  "  there  will  be  no 
fun   to-night,  and  you  may  as  well  go   home." 

As  this  order  was  in  conformity  with  previous  in- 
structions, the  men  pulled  down  the  creek  to  its  mouth, 


234  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

where  they  could  remain  concealed  till  their  officers 
returned. 

By  the  liglit  of  the  burning  steamer,  Captain  Osborn 
had  attentively  scanned  the  features  of  the  pilot  and  his 
companion,  apparently  for  the  purpose  of  determining 
where  he  had  seen  the  former.  As  they  had  both  dressed 
themselves  for  the  occasion,  they  submitted  to  his  scru- 
tiny without  fear.  When  he  had  finished  his  survey,  he 
mounted  his  horse,  which  was  fastened  to  a  tree  near 
the  creek,  and  had  become  very  restive  as  the  glaring 
fire  scattered  burning  cinders  near  him.  As  the  rider 
had  no  further  use  for  our  enterprising  operatives,  he  be- 
stowed no  further  notice  upon  them,  and  rode  off  to  re- 
port to  his  commanding  officer  the  failure  of  the  hopeful 
enterprise. 

"  Well,  we  have  done  some  good  by  coming  over  here," 
said  Captain  de  Banyan  as  the  officer  galloped  up  the 
road  above  the  creek. 

"Hush,  Captain!"  replied  Somers.  "You  forget 
where  you  are." 

"No,  I  don't :  we  are  alone." 

"Perhaps  not:  the  trees  have  ears  sometimes." 

"  Well,  where  are  you  going  now? " 

"  Up  the  river.  We  will  take  a  walk  up  to  the  bat- 
teries, if  there  are  any  there." 

They  proceeded  in  the  direction  indicated  for  about 
three  miles  without  being  molested,  or  even  challenged  by 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         235 

a  sentinel.  The  Army  of  the  Potomac  had  been  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river  nearly  a  month,  and  had 
ceased  to  be  a  curiosity  to  the  rebel  inhabitants  in  the 
vicinity ;  and  like  sensible  people,  as  they  were  in  this 
respect  if  in  no  other,  they  devoted  the  hours  of  dark- 
ness to  sleep.  On  the  shore  opposite  the  camp,  they  found 
a  battery  of  artillery.  Rude  field-works  had  been  con- 
structed near  the  water,  on  which  the  guns  of  the  com- 
pany had  been  placed.  Our  travellers  were  too  modest 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  rebels,  and  kept  at  a 
respectful  distance  from  them,  crawling  on  the  ground 
near  enough  to  ascertain  the  force  of  the  enemy. 

Taking  to  the  fields  for  greater  safety,  the  scouts  went 
up  the  river  several  miles  farther,  without  making  any 
discoveries  worthy  of  notice.  The  object  of  the  excur- 
sion had  been  fully  accomplished  ;  and  they  began  to  re- 
trace their  steps  towards  the  creek,  where  the  boat  was 
waiting  their  return.  When  we  are  well  employed,  time 
passes  away  very  rapidly  ;  and  our  adventurers  had  taken 
no  note  of  its  passage.  Before  they  had  made  a  single 
mile,  the  bright  streaks  of  day  in  the  east  warned  them 
that  they  had  remained  too  long  for  their  own  safety. 

The  prospect  of  being  examined  by  rebel  officers  in 
broad  daylight  was  not  pleasant ;  and,  increasing  their 
speed,  they  walked  by  the  shortest  way  towards  the  creek. 
When  they  had  passed  the  battery  of  artillery,  they  aban- 
doned the  fields,  through  which  they  could  make  but 


236  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

slow  progress,  for  the  road.     They  had  three  miles  far- 
ther to  go,  and  it  was  now  nearly  sunrise. 

"I  think  we  must  have  lost  two  or  three  hours,"  said 
Somers  as  they  hastened  on  their  way.  "  I  had  no 
idea  that  it  was  more  than  two  o'clock  in  the  morning 
when  we  turned  about." 

"  Nor  I,"  replied  De  Banyan.  "  "We  must  have  spent 
two  or  three  hours  in  crawlinjir  on  the  ground  about  that 
battery." 

"I  don't  see  where  the  time  has  all  gone." 

*'  It  goes  fast  when  we  are  busy.  When  I  was  in  the 
Crimea  "  — 

"  Never  mind  the  Crimea  now."  protested  Somers, 
w^ho  was  in  no  mood  for  his  companion's  fibs. 

"  Don't  be  crusty,  Somers." 

*'  I  did  not  mean  to  be  crusty  ;  but  you  know  my  opin- 
ion about  those  stories  of  the  Crimea  and  the  Italian 
war,  and  I  don't  think  it  is  a  good  plan  ta  talk  so  much 
over  here." 

;      "As  you  please  :  it  is  your  turn  to  speak  next." 
)      "I  meant  no  offence." 

"  I  know  you  didn't,  Somers  :  but  you  reproved  me, 
and  I  can  only  hold  my  peace  ;  for  you  are  the  command- 
er of  this  expedition." 

"  You  know  I  like  you  as  a  brother  ;  but  I  don't  like 
those  silly  yarns  about  your  impossible  achievements. 
Hark!     What's  that?" 


THE   ADVEXTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         237 

This  last  remark  was  caused  by  the  sound  of  horses* 
feet  behind  them ;  and  our  travellers  looked  back  with 
eager  interest  to  ascertain  what  was  approaching.  It 
was  a  body  of  cavalry,  which  had  just  swept  round  a 
bend  of  the  road,  and  was  now  in  plain  sight  of  them. 

"  That  won't  do,"  said  De  Banyan  with  energy.  "  "\Ye 
must  conceal  ourselves." 

"  I  think  they  have  seen  us,  and  we  may  as  well  make 
the  best  of  it.  If  we  hide,  they  will  certainly  suspect 
us." 

"  They  have  not  seen  us  yet.  They  are  half  a  mile 
off,"  replied  the  captain,  as  he  retired  to  the  field  by  the 
side  of  the  road. 

Somers  followed  him,  though  he  did  not  fully  approve 
the  policy  of  his  friend.  They  walked  a  short  distance 
till  they  came  to  a  covert  of  bushes,  in  which  they  con- 
cealed themselves. 

"  I  think  we  have  made  a  mistake.  The  dog  always 
bites  when  you  attempt  to  run  away  from  him,"  said 
Somers. 

''  I  don't  think  they  saw  us,"  persisted  De  Banyan. 
"  If  they  did,  we  can  tell  as  good  a  story  here  as  we 
could  in  the  road." 

'•  I  ahvays  believe  in  facing  the  music.  I  have  found 
that  impudence  will  carry  a  man  a  great  deal  farther 
and  a  great  deal  faster  than  his  legs  can." 

"  Perhaps  you  are  right,  Somers.  When  I  was  in 
Italy"  — 


238  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Bah !  Doji't  say  Italy  or  Crimea  again  till  we 
reach  the  other  side  of  the  river,"  interposed  Somers, 
who  was  too  seriously  affected  by  the  perils  of  their 
situation  to  be  willing  to  listen  to  any  of  his  compan- 
ion's hallucinations. 

"  Just  as  you  please,  Somers,"  answered  the  captain, 
unmoved  by  the  rebuff;  "but,  when  I  was  doing  scout 
duty  before  the  battle  of  Magenta,  I  saAv  the  advance  of 
the  Austrians  coming  up.  behind  me.  I  crawled  into  a 
haystack,  and  remained  there  while  the  whole  army  of 
the  Austrians,  about  four  hundred  thousand  men,  passed 
by  me." 

Somers  could  not  but  smile  at  the  infatuation  of  his 
friend,  who  at  such  a  perilous  moment  could  indulge  in 
such  a  vicious  practice  as  that  of  inventing  great  stories. 
He  did  not  even  ask  him  how  long  it  took  the  Austrian 
army  to  pass  the  haystack,  Avhether  they  had  haystacks 
in  Italy,  nor  if  it  was  probable  that  such  an  army  would 
pass  over  a  single  road.  He  waited  patiently,  or  im- 
patiently, for  the  approach  of  the  rebel  cavalry,  which 
soon  reached  the  road  near  the  bushes  where  they  were 
hidden. 

To  his  consternation,  they  came  to  a  dead  halt ;  and  he 
could  see  the  men  gazing  earnestly  in  the  direction  they 
had  retired.  Then  half  a  dozen  of  the  troopers  entered 
the  field,  and  rode  directly  towards  the  covert  of  bushes. 

"  We  are  caught !"  whispered  Somers. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         239 

*'  That's  so.  Just  after  the  battle  of  Palestro,  when 
I"  — 

"  Hush ! " 

"  Hush  it  is,"  replied  De  Banyan,  as  coolly  as  though 
he  had  been  under  his  shelter  tent  on  the  other  side  of 
the  James. 

Taking  a  knife  from  his  pocket,  he  began  to  cut  away 
at  a  straight  bush  which  grew  near  him,  and  was  thus 
busily  employed  when  the  soldiers  reached  the  spot. 
Somers  stretched  himself  on  the  ground,  and  waited  the 
issue  of  the  event ;  deciding  to  let  his  companion,  who  had 
got  him  into  the  scrape,  extricate  him  from  it.  The  cool- 
ness of  the  captain,  and  the  peculiar  manner  he  assumed, 
convinced  him  that  he  had  some  resources  upon  which 
-  to  di'aw  in  this  trying  emergency. 

*'  Hallo,  there  ! "  shouted  one  of  the  troopers  savagely, 
as  though  he  intended  to  carry  consternation  in  the  tones 
of  his  voice. 

*' How  are  you,  old  boss?"  inquired  De  Banyan,  as 
impudently  as  though  he  had  been  the  lord  of  the 
manor. 

"What  ye  doin'  in  here?"  demanded  the  horseman, 
as  he  forced  his  animal  into  the  bushes  far  enough  to 
obtain  a  full  view  of  both  of  the  fugitives. 

"  Well,  old  boss,  if  Heaven  gin  you  two  eyes,  what 
were  they  gin  to  ye  fur?"  replied  the  captain,  still  hack- 
ing away  at  the  sapling. 


240  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

"  What  d'ye  run  for  when  you  saw  us  coming?" 

"Didn't  run." 

"  Yes,  yer  did." 

"  You  know  best,  then." 

"What  d'ye  come  in  here  fur?" 

"  Don't  ye  see  what  I  came  in  here  for  ?  "  replied  De 
Banyan,  as  he  finished  cutting  off  the  bush,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  trim  off  the  branches. 

"Who  are  you?" 

"  Well,  old  hoss,  I'm  the  brother  of  mv  father's  oldest 
son." 

"  What's  yer  name  ?  " 

"Hain't  got  any:  had  a  difficulty  with  the  district 
attorney  in  our  county,  and  lost  it." 

"Come  out  here,  and  show  yerself.  The  cap'n  wants 
to  see  yer  down  to  the  road." 

"  Just  goin'  down  there.  Say,  you  hain't  got  a  spare 
hoss  in  your  caravan,  have  you?  I'm  gettin'  amazin' 
tired." 

"  Come  out,  both  of  you.    I  can't  stay  here  all  day." 

"  Needn't  wait  for  me  ;  I'm  in  no  hurry,"  answered 
the  captain,  as  he  slowly  emerged  from  the  bushes,  fol- 
lowed by  Somers. 

"  But  I  shall  wait  for  yer  ;  and,  if  yer  don't  step  along 
lively,  I'll  let  yer  know  how  this  cheese-knife  feels." 

"  Don't  distress  yourself  to  do  any  thing  of  the  sort," 
said  De  Banyan  ;  and  he  hobbled  along  on  his  new-made 
cane. 


TUB  ADVENTURES  OF  AM  ARMY  OFFICER.         241 

A  walk  of  a  few  rods  brought  them  to  the  road,  where 
.l.e  commander  of  the  company  was  impatiently  await- 
ing the.r  arrival.  He  looked  daggers  at  the  travellers, 
and  evidently  intended  to  annihilate  them  by  the  fierce- 
ness  of  his  visage. 

''  Give  an  account  of  yourself,"  said  he. 

"  We're  no  account,"  replied  De  Banyan. 

"  I've  seen  you  before,"  continued  the  cavaby  com- 
mander, gazing  intently  at  the  captain. 

"  No  :  you  saw  me  behind." 

"  That  sounds  like  you.  Why,  really,  it  is  Barney 
Marvel." 

"AYho?"  demanded  De  Banyan  with  an  expression 
of  humor. 

"  Barney  Marvel !  Don't  you  know  your  own  name  ? 
Give  us  your  hand,  Barney,"  added  the  officer,  as  he 
extended  his  own. 

-  Well,  cap'n,  perhaps  I'm  Barney ~what's-his-name  ; 
but,  'pon  my  word,  I  don't  think  I  am  ;  "  and  De  Banyan 
wore  a  troubled  expression,  even  to  the  eyes  of  his 
anxious  companion. 

"Don't  be  modest  about  it,  Barney.  You  left  us 
rather  unceremoniously ;  but  I  hope  you'll  be  able  to 
show  that  it  was  all  right." 

"  'Pon  my  word  it  was  all  right,  though  I  haven't  the 
least  idea  what  you  mean." 

"  Haven't  you,  indeed,  Barney? "  laughed  the  captain, 

16 


242  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

who,  in  spite  of  his  present  happy  manner,  was  evidently 
as  much  puzzled  as  the  other  party. 

"  Ton  my  word,  I  haven't." 

^'  Do  you  mean  to  say  you  are  not  Barney  Marvel, 
formerly  a  lieutenant  in  the  Third  Tennessee?" 

"  Not  if  I  know  it." 

"  I  suppose  I  understand  your  position,  Barney  ;  but  I 
advise  you  not  to  deny  facts." 

"  I  never  deny  facts,  captain  :  you  haven't  told  me 
your  name  yet." 

"  No  need  of  that.  Now,  be  honest,  Barney.  Tell 
us  all  about  it.  There  wasn't  an  officer  in  the  regiment 
that  didn't  mourn  you  as  a  brother  when  you  left  us." 

"I'm  very  much  obliged  to  them,"  replied  De  Banyan 
lightly ;  but  even  Somers  began  to  have  some  doubts  in 
regard  to  his  popular  friend. 

"How  are  Magenta,  Solferino,  and  the  Crimea,  now-a- 
days?  "  demanded  the  officer. 

"  Never  heard  of  such  places.  Don't  know  much 
about  geography,"  answered  the  captain. 

Somers  Avas  confounded  when  the  officer  repeated  these 
words,  which  were  proof  positive  that  he  was  the  man 
whom  the  captain  represented  him  to  be. 

"  Sergeant,  dismount,  and  tell  me  if  you  find  B.  M. 
on  that  man's  right  arm." 

The  sergeant  obeyed,  and,  with  the  assistance  of 
another,  bared  the  captain's  arm,  Avhere  they  found, 
plainly  marked  in   India  ink,  the  initials  B.  M. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.        243 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE   THIRD    TENNESSEE. 

(M\  ROBABLY  there  was  no  one  in  either  party  who. 
|Xl  was  so  thoroughly  bewildered  by  the  incident 
,  which  had  just  transpired  as  Captain  Somers. 
The  mystery  of  his  companion's  antecedents  was 
in  a  fair  way  to  be  cleared  up,  though  in  a  very  unsat- 
isfactory manner  to  those  most  intimately  concerned. 
The  conversation,  and  the  verification  of  the  rebel  offi- 
cer's statements,  showed  that  De  Banyan  was  not  De 
Banyan  ;  that  the  brave  and  brilliant  Federal  officer  was' 
not  a  Federal  officer ;  that,  of  all  he  had  been,  only  the 
"brave"  and  "brilliant"  remained. 

It  was  painfully  evident  that  the  bold  and  dashing 
captain  was,  or  had  been,  a  rebel  officer.  Somers  was 
terribly  shocked  at  the  discovery,  even  while  it  was  a 
satisfaction  to  have  the  mystery  of  his  companion's  pre- 
vious life  explained.  For  the  time,  he  forgot  the  perils 
of  his  own  situation  in  the  interest  he  felt  in  the  affairs 
of  his  friend.  Perhaps  De  Banyan  was  a  spy,  who  had 
been  serving  in  the  Union  army  for  the  purpose  of  con- 


244  TEE    TOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

veying  information,  to  the  enemy.  He  had  been  very 
glad  of  the  opportunity  to  cross  the  river  ;  and  it  seemed 
probable  to  our  hero  that  he  -wished  to  return  to  his 
friends.  It  is  true,  the  efficient  services  of  the  captain 
in  the  Army  of  the  Potomac,  his  readiness  at  all  times 
to  fight  the  rebels,  and  especially  his  shooting  down  the 
enemy's  pickets  in  the  swamp,  were  not  exactly  con- 
sistent wdth  such  a  record ;  but  perhaps  he  had  done 
these  things  to  keep  up  appearances,  and  thus  enable 
him  the  better  to  promote  the  objects  of  the  Rebel- 
lion. 

He  was  anxious  to  hear  the  captain's  explanation  of 
these  gross  charges  ;  but,  of  course,  that  was  utterly 
impracticable  at  present.  In  the  mean  time,  there  was 
no  room  to  doubt  that  the  cavalry  officer  had  all  the 
truth  on  his  side.  He  had  hinted  very  strongly  that  De 
Banyan  was  a  deserter ;  but  he  might  have  deserted  for 
the  purpose  of  performing  the  special  duty  which  had 
been  assigned  to  him.  Officers  and  soldiers,  sent  out  as 
spies,  had  often  incurred  the  odium  of  such  a  reputation, 
in  order  to  keep  their  own  counsels,  and  serve  their 
country  the  more  faithfully. 

K  Captain  de  Banyan  w^as  a  deserter  in  appearance 
only,  he  would,  of  course,  soon  be  able  to  make  his 
fidelity  and  patriotism  apparent  to  the  rebel  authorities  ; 
and  being  a  patriot,  in  the  traitor's  use  of  the  word,  he 
could  not  do  less  than   denounce  his   companion    as    a 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         245 

Federal  spy.  Whatever  turn  the  affair  might  take, 
Somers  felt  that  his  own  chances  of  escape  were  every 
moment  becoming  beautifully  less.  If  De  Banyan  was 
a  faithful  rebel,  there  was  proof  positive  that  his  com- 
panion was  a  spy :  if  not,  he  was  in  the  company  of  a 
deserter,  and  would  be  subjected  to  all  manner  of  sus- 
picion. 

De  Banyan  still  held  his  head  up,  and  did  not  lose  his 
impudence,  even  after  the  letters  had  been  found  upon 
his  arm.  He  did  not  appear  to  be  at  all  confused  by  the 
discovery  and  the  triimiph  of  the  cavalry  officer's  argu- 
ment. He  punched  Somers  in  the  side  with  his  elbow ; 
but  the  latter  w^as  unable  to  dixdne  the  significance  of 
this  movement. 

"  Well,  Barney,  I  wish  somebody  else  had  caught  you 
instead  of  me  ;  for  it  is  not  pleasant  to  find  an  old  friend 
under  such  circumstances." 

''  If  you  please,  captain,  I  haven't  the  pleasure  of 
knowing  your  name." 

"  Come,  Barney,  don't  keep  up  this  farce  any  longer." 

"  I  was  about  to  beg  the  favor,  that  you  would  not 
call  me  by  that  offensive  name  any  longer." 

"  You  seem  to  be  changing  your  colors  very  rapidly," 
laughed  the  officer.  "  When  I  first  saw  you,  you  were 
a  rough-spoken  fellow ;  but  now  you  use  the  language 
of  a  polished  gentleman.  Barney,  you  and  I  were  good 
friends  in  the  Third  Tennessee  ;  and,  though  I  am  sorry 


246  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

to  meet  you  under  these  circumstances,  we  must  both 
make  the  best  of  it." 

*'I  tell  you,  captain,  you  are  entirely  mistaken  in  your 
man.     I  never  was  in  Tennessee  in  my  life." 

"  Good  !  You  were  always  celebrated  for  monstrous 
stories  ;  and  they  are  fully  in  keeping  with  your  past 
history.  Well,  since  you  refuse  to  recognize  an  old 
friend,  of  course  I  shall  be  excused  for  any  unpleasant 
measures  to  which  I  may  be  compelled  to  resort." 

"  Any  thing  you  please,  captain,  so  long  as  you  refrain 
from  calling  me  Barney,  which  in  my  estimation  is  a 
low  and  vulgar  cognomen,  that  I  am  unwilling  to  have 
applied  to  me." 

"  Who  is  the  man  with  you?  "  demanded  the  officer  in 
more  business-like  tones. 

"  His  name  is  Tom  Leathers :  he's  a  pilot  on  the 
James.  "We  refer  you  to  Captain  Osborn  for  evidence 
of  our  character.     We  came  here  to  do  a  job  for  him." 

"  All  right,  then.  Captain  Osborji  lodges  at  the  next 
house  on  this  road,  and  we  will  let  him  speak  for  the 
other  man.  He  can't  speak  for  you;  for  I  know  you 
better  than  he  does,  or  any  other  man  who  has  not 
served  in  the  Third  Tennessee.  As  you  were  going 
this  way,  you  can  walk  along  with  us." 

*'  Thank  you  for  the  polite  invitation,  and  this  is 
a  handsome  escort  for  a  man  of  my  humble  preten- 
sions," 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ABMY  OFFICER.         247 

The  captain  of  the  company  ordered  his  men  to  keep 
back,  and  Somers  and  De  Banyan  walked  by  the  side  of 
his  horse,  a  few  yards  in  advance  of  the  platoons.  He 
had  evidently  adopted  this  method  to  draw  out  his  pris- 
oners ;  for  as  such  our  officers  were  compelled  to  regard 
themselves. 

"  Marvel,  you  used  to  be  a  very  sensible  fellow  when 
you  were  in  the  Third  Tennessee,"  said  the  rebel  cap- 
tain. "I  am  surprised  to  see  you  adopting  such  a 
stupid  method  to  conceal  your  identity." 

"  I  had  good  reasons  for  it,"  replied  De  Banyan,  cast- 
ing his  eyes  behind  him,  as  if  to  assure  himself  that 
none  of  the  soldiers  were  within  hearing. 

"  What  reasons?  "  asked  the  officer  curiously. 

"  I  should  think  a  man  of  your  discretion  would 
easily  understand  the  reason,  without  any  explanation. 
If  I  am  to  be  tried  for  any  offence,  I  don't  want  to  be 
judged  by  a  whole  company  of  cavalry.  You  know  I 
always  took  pride  in  my  reputation." 

"I  used  to  think  so;  but,  when  we  missed  you  one 
day,  we  got  rid  of  that  opinion  in  the  Third  Ten- 
nessee." 

"  Then  you  ^vronged  me ;  for  I  have  faithfully  served 
my  country  from  that  day  to  this." 

*'  I  am  glad  to  hear  it,  and  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to 
prove  what  you  have  said.     How  came  you  here  ?  " 

"  I  came  over  from  the  other  side  of  the  river  last 


248  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

night.  You  intimated  that  my  departure  from  the  Third 
was  not  all  regular,"  added  the  captain. 

"In  a  word,  it  was  understood  that  you  had  deserted." 

"  That  was  a  mistake." 

*'  I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it ;  but  you  will  remember 
that  your  loyalty  to  the  Southern  Confederacy  was  not 
above  suspicion  when  you  joined  the  regiment." 

De  Banyan  punched  Somers  with  his  elbow  at  tliese 
words,  as  though  he  wished  him  to  take  particular  notice 
of  them  ;  but  his  admiring  friend  needed  no  such  admo- 
nition to  induce  him  to  give  strict  attention  to  the  state- 
ment, for  it  was  the  most  satisfactory  remark  he  had 
heard  during  the  interview.  Captain  de  Banyan  rose 
twenty-five  per  cent  in  liis  estimation  at  the  utterance 
of  those  words,  however  injurious  they  were  in  the 
opinion  of  him  who  had  spoken  them.  There  was  hope 
for  the  captain ;  and  Somers  trusted  that  he  would  be 
able  fully  to  exonerate  himself  from  the  foul  charge, 
when  the  occasion  should  permit  such  an  exposition. 

"  My  loyalty  ought  to  be  considered  above  suspicion, 
and  those  who  know  me  beet  do  so  regard  it,"  added  De 
Banyan  as  he  administered  another  mild  punch  on  the 
ribs  of  his  fellow-sufierer.  "  I  was  taken  by  the  Yan- 
kees, in  short ;  and,  at  the  first  convenient  opportunity,  I 
have  come  over  to  see  you  again." 

♦'  I  hope  it  is  all  right,  Barney  ;  but  I  am  afraid  it  i^ 
not." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY  OFFICER.        249 

''  I  shall  be  able  to  clear  myself  of  every  imputation 
of  disloyalty,  before  the  proper  tribunal." 

"  How  did  you  get  over?  " 

"  I  have  been  following  the  fortunes  of  the  Yankee 
army  till  last  night ;  when  I  took  a  boat,  and  came  over 
the  river.  On  the  way  I  met  a  pilot  whose  name  was 
Andy,  who  turned  me  over  to  this  man,  who  is  also  a 
pilot,  and  came  down  to  take  out  a  fire-ship." 

'^  The  one  that  was  burned  in  the  creek  last  night?" 

"  The  same.  I  refer  you  to  Captain  Osborn  for  the 
truth  of  the  last  part  of  my  statement ;  though  the  time 
Avas  when  you  did  not  ask  me  to  bring  vouchers  for  what 
I  said." 

"For  nothing,  except  your  stories  of  the  Crimea  and 
the  Italian  war,"  replied  the  captain  of  cavalry  with  a 
significant  smile.  "  I  must  do  you  the  justice  to  say, 
that  I  never  knew  you  to  tell  a  falsehood  on  any  matter 
connected  with  your  social  or  business  relations." 

"■  Thank  you  for  so  much,"  replied  De  Banyan. 
''Now  that  I  have  made  it  all  right,  I  suppose  you 
needn't  trouble  yourself  to  attend  to  my  afiairs  any 
further." 

"  No  trouble  at  all,  I  assure  you.  Under  the  circum- 
stances, I  shall  feel  it  my  duty  to  deliver  you  into  the 
hands  of  my  superiors,  and  they  can  do  as  they  please 
with  you.  But  I  sincerely  hope  that  you  will  be  able 
to  vindicate  your  character  from  the  stain  which  rests 
upon  it." 


250  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

*'  I  don't  think  it  needs  any  vindication." 

"  There  is  some  difference  of  opinion  between  us  on 
that  point.     Where  are  you  going  now?" 

'^  To  Richmond,"  replied  De  Banyan  promptly ;  and 
perhaps  he  intended  to  go  there  with  the  Army  of  the 
Potomac,  though  its  present  prospect  of  reaching  the 
rebel  capital  was  not  very  favorable. 

"  This  is  not  the  way  to  Richmond.  Your  stories 
don't  agree  very  well." 

"  I  thought  it  was  ;  or  rather  to  Petersburg,  and  from 
there  we  expected  to  get  a  ride  up  in  the  cars." 

"  Oh,  very  well !  I  can  procure  you  a  pass  to  Rich- 
mond," added  the  rebel. 

"  And  an  escort  to  attend  us,  I  suppose,"  replied  De 
Banyan  with  a  smile. 

"  A  small  one  ;  but  here  is  the  house  where  Captain 
Osborn  lodges.  If  he  knows  your  friend  here,  and  can 
vouch  for  his  loyalty,  all  well ;  if  not,  we  shall  not  part 
two  such  loving  friends." 

Captain  Osborn  had  not  risen  when  the  company  of 
cavalry  reached  his  quarters  :  but  he  was  called  from  his 
bed,  and  appeared  in  front  of  the  house  in  the  worst 
possible  humor ;  for,  being  human,  he  did  not  like  to 
have  his  slumbers  disturbed  by  unseasonable  calls.  As 
Somers  feared,  Captain  Osborn  denied  all  knowledge  of 
the  prisoners,  except  so  far  as  related  to  his  interview 
with  them  during  the  night.     He  had  never  seen  either 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.         251 

of  them  before  ;  and  he  even  took  the  trouble  to  add  that 
he  didn't  believe  the  young  fellow  was  a  pilot,  which 
was  gratuitous   and  uncalled  for  on  his  part. 

"Well,  Marvel,"  added  the  cavalry  officer  rather 
coldly,  "  this  business  is  settled  very  much  as  I  sup- 
posed it  would  be.  I  shall  have  to  send  you  up  to 
Richmond,  where,  if  your  stories  are  all  true,  I  doubt 
not  you  will  be  able  to  clear  yourself." 

''  Thank  you,  captain.  You  are  the  same  affectionate 
fellow  you  used  to  be  when  you  were  a  lieutenant  in  the 
Third  Tennessee,"  replied  De  Banyan  wdth  a  sneer ;  for 
it  was  evident  that  he  was  not  at  all  pleased  with  the 
result  of  the  affair. 

Four  soldiers  were  detailed  from  the  company  to  con- 
duct the  prisoners  to  a  certain  camp  near  the  railroad  at 
City  Point,  and  there  deliver  them  over  to  the  keeping 
of  an  officer  w^hose  name  was  mentioned. 

"  Good-morning,  captain,"  said  De  Banyan  with 
forced   gayety. 

"  Good-morning,  Marvel,  and  success  to  you." 

"  Thank  you." 

*'  By  the  way,  Barney,  if  there  is  any  thing  I  can  do 
for  youj  don't  fail  to  call  upon  me  ;  that  is,  any  thing 
consistent  with  the  duty  of  a  faithful  officer." 

"  Such  a  remark  was  entirely  uncalled  for,"  said  De 
Banyan  with  dignity.  "  Do  you  think  I  would  ask  an 
officer  to  sacrifice  his  conscience  ?  " 


252  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"Excuse  me,  Baruey.  I  meant  no  offence,"  added 
the  rebel  captain,  touched  by  the  proud  and  dignified 
manner  of  his  former  friend. 

*'  Your  words  and  your  conduct  are  in  keeping  with 
each  other." 

"  Really,  Barney,  I  meant  nothing  by  the  remark." 

*'  Then  it  was  the  more  unmanly  to  make  it." 

"  I  am  still  your  friend.  In  proof  of  it,  permit  me  to 
do  you  a  favor,"  pleaded  the  rebel,  much  concerned  at 
the  wound  he  had  inflicted  on  the  sensitive  nature  of  his 
late  associate  in  the  Third  Tennessee. 

"  I  ask  no  favors,"  answered  De  Banyan  proudly. 

"You  are  too  hard  upon  me.  Upon  my  Avord,  I 
meant  no  offence.  As  a  proof  of  my  friendship,  I  will 
take  your  parole  of  honor  not  to  escape,  and  you  shall 
report  at  Richmond  at  your  own  pleasure.  If  you  have 
any  interest  in  this  young  man,  I  will  allow  him  the 
same  favor." 

"  After  what  has  happened,  I  cannot  accept  a  fa^or  at 
your  hands.  I  can't  see  how  an  oflicer  who  doubts  my 
word  should  be  A\dlling  to  take  my  parole." 

"As  you  please,  Marvel,"  added  the  captain  petulantly. 
"  I  can  do  no  more  for  you." 

Somers  was  greatly  relieved  when  the  rebel  officer 
rode  off,  followed  by  his  company.  He  had  trembled 
with  anxiety,  Avhen  the  parole  was  offered  to  De  Banyan, 
lest  he  should  accept  it,  and  thus  compel  him  to  do  the 
same.     Although  he  could  not  see  how   it  was  to   be 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         253 

brought  about,  he  intended  to  escape  from  the  hands  of 
his  captors  at  the  first  convenient  opportunity,  with  or 
without  De  Banyan,  as  the  case  should  demand. 

One  of  the  four  troopers  detailed  to  guard  the  pris- 
oners was  a  sergeant,  who  intimated  to  them  that  they 
might  take  up  the  line  of  march  for  the  camp  where 
they  were  bound.  To  preclude  the  possibility  of  an 
escape,  he  ordered  two  of  his  men  to  ride  ahead  of  the 
captives,  while  himself  and  the  other  followed  in  the 
rear.  The  little  procession  moved  off;  and  there  was 
never  a  sadder-hearted  young  man  than  Somers,  who, 
were  his  true  character  discovered,  was  liable  to  the  pains 
and  penalties  of  being  a  spy. 

"Sergeant,  have  you  been  to  breakfast?"  demanded 
De  Banyan,  after  they  had  walked  a  couple  of  miles, 
and  were  passing  a  farm-house. 

"  No,  sir. 

"I  smell  fried  bacon,  and  am  willing  to  pay  for  break- 
fast for  the  whole  party.     What  do  you  say  ?  " 

*'  There  is  nothing  in  my  orders  to  prevent  me  from 
taking  up  your  offer  ;  and  I  will  do  it,  if  you  will  agree 
not  to  run  away  while  we  are  at  the  house,"  replied  the 
prudent  soldier. 

"  How  shall  we  run  away,  with  four  men  watching 
us?"  demanded  De  Banyan. 

The  sergeant  seemed  to  be  satisfied  with  this  aron- 
ment ;  and  they  entered  the  house,  where  breakfast  was 
soon  in  preparation  for  them. 


254  THE    YOU  NO   LIEUTENANT ;     OR, 


CHAPTER  XXn. 


THE    REBEL     FARM-HOUSE. 


OMERS,  besides  the  chagrin  caused  by  his  cap- 
ture, was  greatly  disturbed  by  the  astounding 
discoveries  he  had  made  in  regard  to  Captain 
de  Banyan.  He  was  extremely  anxious  to 
obtain  an  opportunity  to  converse  with  him  in  relation 
to  his  disgraceful  antecedents  ;  but  the  presence  of  the 
rebel  soldiers  prevented  him  from  saying  a  word.  Yet 
his  looks  must  have  betrayed  the  distrust  he  felt  in  his 
companion  ;  for  De  Banyan  seemed  to  study  his  face  more 
than  the  faces  of  their  captors. 

By  this  time,  the  six  trusty  soldiers  who  had  been 
selected  to  participate  in  the  enterprise  must  have  given 
them  up,  and  returned  to  the  camp  with  the  sad  story  of 
their  capture.  It  was  mortifying  to  Somers  to  have  such 
a  report  carried  to  the  general  of  the  division  ;  for  it 
seemed  to  be  an  imputation  upon  his  skill  and  tact :  but 
he  found  some  consolation  in  believing  that  he  should 
not  have  been  taken  if  it  had  not  been  for  his  unfor- 
tunate  connection  with  Captain  de  Banyan,  who   was 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         255 

rash  beyond  measure  in  venturing  within  the  rebel 
lines,  unless  he  really  meant  to  return  to  the  Third 
Tennessee. 

AVhatever  the  captain  was,  and  whatever  he  intended 
to  do,  Somers  could  not  believe  that  his  late  friend 
had  deliberately  betrayed  him  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy.  It  might  be  so  ;  or  it  might  be,  that,  to  save 
himself  from  the  consequences  of  his  alleged  desertion, 
he  would  claim  to  have  been  always  a  faithful  adlierent 
of  the  Southern  Confederacy.  Somers  was  perplexed 
beyond  description  by  the  perils  and  uncertainties  of  his 
situation.  He  had,  in  fact,  lost  confidence  in  his  com- 
panion ;  and  the  result  was,  that  he  resolved  to  make  his 
escape,  if  he  could,  from  the  hands  of  the  rebels  with- 
out him.  Under  other  circumstances,  he  would  have 
deemed  it  infamous  to  harbor,  for  an  instant,  the 
thought  of  deserting  a  friend  in  the  hour  of  extremity ; 
and  nothing  but  the  remembrance  of  the  Third  Tennes- 
see could  have  induced  him  to  adopt  such  a  resolution. 
Having  adopted  it,  he  kept  his  eyes  wide  open  for  any 
opportunity  which  Avould  favor  his  purpose.  His  cu- 
riosity, excited  to  the  highest  pitch  to  know  what  the 
captain  could  say  in  defence  of  the  heinous  charge 
wliich  had  been  fastened  upon  him  by  the  rebel  caval- 
ry oflScer,  and  which  he  himself  had  substantiated,  ren- 
dered the  intention  to  part  company  with  him  very 
disagreeable ;    but   the   terror   of   a   rebel   prison,    and 


256  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

perhaps  a  "svorse  fate,  were  potent  arguments  in  its 
favor. 

In  the  course  of  half  an  hour,  the  breakfast  was  read/, 
and  the  party  sat  down  with  a  hearty  relish  to  discuss  it. 
The  fried  bacon  and  biscuit  were  luxuries  to  Somers, 
and  he  partook  of  them  with  a  keener  satisfaction  than 
he  did  of  the  costly  viands  of  the  "  Continental "  and 
the  "  National ;  "  but,  deeply  as  he  was  interested  in  this 
pleasant  employment,  he  hardly  ceased  for  a  moment  to 
think  of  the  grand  project  of  making  his  escape.  For 
the  time,  this  had  become  the  great  business  of  existence, 
and  he  banished  from  his  mind  all  minor  questions. 

Opportunity  is  seldom  wanting  to  those  who  are  reso- 
lutely determined  to  do  great  deeds.  Only  the  slow- 
moulded  and  irresolute  want  a  time  and  a  place.  The 
breakfast  was  finished,  and  the  troopers  and  their  pris- 
oners were  on  excellent  terms  with  each  other  long  before 
the  conclusion  of  the  repast.  Eating  and  drinking  pro- 
mote the  social  feeling  ;  and  Captain  de  Banyan. was  as 
brilliant  as  he  had  ever  been  in  the  camps  of  the  Chick- 
ahominy.  He  made  the  rebels  laugh,  and  excited  their 
wonder  by  the  most  improbable  stories  in  which  even  he 
had  ever  indulged.  It  would  have  been  impossible  to 
distinguish  between  the  captives  and  the  captors  ;  for  the 
latter  were  extremely  considerate,  as  they  had  probably 
been  instructed  to  be  by  the  captain  of  the  company. 

When  the  meal  was  finished,  the  troopers  rose,  and 


THE   AD    ENTUUES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         2bl 

proposed  to  resume  tlic  journey.  De  Banyan  paid  the 
1)111  in  gold  ;  for  there  Avas  still  a  small  portion  of  the 
precious  metal  in  the  army. 

"  Now  we  are  ready,"  said  the  sergeant ;  "  and  we 
will  get  our  horses.  It's  a  pity  we  haven't  horses  for 
you  ;  but,  when  you  get  tired,  Ave  will  give  you  the  use 
of  the  saddles  for  a  time." 

"  Thank  yoii,  my  friend.  That's  handsome.  You  re- 
mind me  of  a  Russian  major-general,  who  insisted  that 
I  should  ride  his  animal  while  he  walked  by  my  side, 
after  I  was  taken  prisoner  in  the  battle  of  Austerlitz." 

"  He  was  a  good  fellow,"  replied  the  sergeant,  who 
probably  did  not  remember  the  precise  date  of  the  cel- 
ebrated battle  quoted  by  the  versatile  captain.  "  We 
shall  not  be  behind  him ;  and,  if  you  like,  you  shall  have 
the  first  ride  on  my  horse." 

"  Thank  you  ;  but  I  couldn't  think  of  depriving  you  of 
your  horse,  even  for  a  moment." 

"  Well,  we  will  settle  all  that  by  and  by.  Come  Avith 
me  now,  if  you  please,"  said  the  sergeant,  as  he  led  the 
way  out  of  the  house. 

As  very  little  attention  seemed  to  be  paid  to  Somers,  — 
for  the  rebels  evidently  did  not  regard  him  as  either  a 
slippery  or  a  dangerous  person,  —  he  Avas  permitted  to 
bring  up  the  rear.  Noav,  it  is  ahvays  mortifying  to  be 
held  in  slight  esteem,  especially  to  a  sensitive  mind  like 
that  of  our  hero  ;*and  he  resented  the  slight  by  declining 
17 


258  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

to  follow  the  party.  Near  the  outside  door,  as  they 
passed  out,  he  discovered  another  door,  which  was  ajar, 
and  which  led  up  stairs.  Without  any  waste  of  valu- 
able time,  he  slyly  stepped  through  the  doorway,  and 
ascended  the  stairs.  The  rebels  Avere  so  busy  in  listen- 
inty  to  the  great  stories  of  Captain  de  Banyan,  that  they 
did  not  immediately  discover  the  absence  of  the  unpre- 
tending young  man. 

When  our  resolute  adventurer  saw  the  stairs  through 
the  partially  open  door,  they  suggested  to  him  a  method 
of  operations.  It  is  true,  he  did  not  have  time  to  elab- 
orate the  plan,  and  fully  determine  what  he  should  do 
when  he  went  up  stairs  ;  but  the  general  idea,  that  he 
could  drop  out  of  a  window,  and  escape  in  the  rear  of 
the  house,  struck  him  forcibly,  and  he  impulsively  em- 
braced the  opportunity  thus  presented.  Tlie  building 
was  an  ordinary  Virginia  farm-house,  rudely  con- 
structed, and  very  imperfectly  finished.  On  ascending 
the  stairs,  Somers  reached  a  large,  unfinished  apart- 
ment, which  was  used  as  a  store-room.  From  it 
opened,  at  each  end  of  the  house,  a  large  chamber. 

No  place  of  concealment,  which  Avas  apparently  suit- 
able for  his  purpose,  presented  itself;  and,  without  loss 
of  time,  he  mounted  a  grain  chest,  and  ascended  to  the 
loft  over  one  of  the  rooms  ;  for  the  beams  were  not 
floored  in  the  middle  of  the  building.  The  aspect  of 
this  place  Avas  not  at  all  hopeful ;  for  there  Avere  none  of 


THE    ADVKNTUIiES    OF  AX  ARMY    OFFICE R.  259 

those  convenient  "  cubby  holes,"  -whicli  most  houses 
contain,  wlierein  he  could  bestow  his  body  with  any 
hope  of  escapinir  even  a  cursory  search  for  him. 

In  the  gable  end,  on  one  side  of  the  chimney,  which, 
our  readers  are  aware,  is  generally  built  on  the  outside 
of  the  structure,  in  Virginia,  was  a  small  window,  one- 
half  of  which,  in  the  decay  of  the  glass  panes,  had  been 
boarded  up  to  exclude  the  wind  and  the  rain.  The  job 
had  evidently  been  performed  by  a  bungling  hand,  and 
had  never  been  more  than  half  done.  The  wood  was  as 
rotten  as  punk  ;  and  without  difficulty,  and  ^vithout  much 
noise,  the  fugitive  succeeded  in  removing  the  board 
which  had  covered  the  lower  part  of  the  window. 

By  this  time  the  absence  of  the  prisoner  had  been  dis- 
covered, and  the  rebels  were  in  a  state  of  high  excite- 
ment on  account  of  it ;  but  Somers  was  pleased  to  find 
that  they  had  not  rightly  conjectured  the  theory  of  his 
escape.  He  could  hear  them  swear,  and  hear  them  con- 
sidering the  direction  in  which  he  had  gone.  Two  of 
them  stood  under  the  window,  to  which  Somers  had  re- 
stored the  board  he  had  removed  ;  and  he  could  distinctly 
hear  all  that  they  said. 

"  Of  course  he  did,"  said  one  of  them.  "  He  slipped 
round  the  corner  of  the  house  when  we  came  out." 

"  If  he  did,  where  is  he?  It's  open  ground  round  here  ; 
and  he  couldn't  have  gone  ten  rods  before  we  missed 
him." 


260  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  The  captain  will  give  it  to  me,"  replied  the  other,  whose 
voice  the  fugitive  recognized  to  be  that  of  the  sergeant. 

"  We  shall  find  him,"  added  the  other.  "  lie  can't 
be  twenty  rods  from  here  now." 

"  I  did  not  think  of  the  young  fellow  running  off,  but 
kept  both  eyes  on  the  other  all  the  time  ;  for  I  thought  he 
wasn't  telling  all  those  stories  for  nothing." 

*'  May  be  he  is  in  the  house,"  suggested  the  other. 

Somers  thought  that  was  a  very  bad  suggestion  of  the 
rebel  soldier ;  and,  if  there  had  been  any  hope  of  their 
believing  him,  he  would  himself  have  informed  them  tliat 
he  was  not  in  the  house,  and  reconciled  his  conscience  as 
best  he  could  to  the  falsehood. 

"  Can't  yer  find  'em?"  demanded  a  third  person,  which 
Somers  saw,  through  the  aperture  he  had  left  between  the 
board  and  the  window,  was  the  farmer. 

"  We  haven't  lost  but  one." 

"  He  can't  be  fur  from  this  yere." 

"  Isn't  he  in  the  house?"  demanded  the  sergeant  anx- 
iously. 

"  No  :  I  saw  them  both  foUer  yer  out." 

"  So  did  I,"  added  the  farmer's  wife,  who  had  come 
out  to  learn  the  cause  of  the  excitement. 

"  Well,  then,  we  must  beat  about  here,  and  find  him  ;  " 
and  the  party  beneath  the  window  moved  away  in  the 
rear  of  the  house. 

Thus  far,  the  project  was  hopeful ;  but  it  was  apparent 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  A2T  ARMY   OFFICER.         261 

to  Somers  that  the  rebels  would  not  leave  the  place  with- 
out searching  the  house,  after  they  had  satisfied  them- 
selves that  the  fugitive  was  not  hidden  in  any  of  the 
out-hiiikliugs  of  the  farm.  If  they  did  so,  his  situation 
would  at  once  become  hopeless,  if  he  remained  Avliere  he 
was.  The  remembrance  of  his  former  experience  in  a 
chimney,  in  another  part  of  Virginia,  caused  him  to  cast 
a  wistful  eye  at  the  great  stone  structure  which  adorned 
the  end  of  the  building.  At  that  time,  he  had  occupied 
his  smoky  quarters  with  the  knowledge  and  consent  of 
the  lady  of  the  house.  But  now  his  secret  was  lodged  in 
his  own  breast  alone  :  not  even  Captain  de  Banyan  knew 
where  he  was,  or  what  he  proposed  to  do. 

When  the  party  beneath  the  window  left  the  place,  he 
carefully  removed  the  board,  and  thrust  out  his  head  to 
reconnoitre  the  position.  The  only  way  by  Avhich  he 
could  enter  the  chimney,  which  his  former  experience 
and  prejudice  assured  him  was  the  only  safe  place  in 
the  vicinity,  was  by  the  top.  To  achieve  such  a  result 
was  a  difficult  piece  of  gymnastics,  even  if  it  could  have 
been  performed  without  reference  to  any  spectators  ;  but 
to  accomplish  it  without  being  seen  by  any  of  the  party 
below  was  as  near  an  impossibility  as  any  impracticable 
thing  could  be. 

The  rebels,  both  civil  and  military,  were  now  out  of 
sight ;  but  he  doubted  not  from  his  eyry  on  the  ridge-pole 
of  the  house,  if  he  could  reach  it,  they  could  all  be  seen. 


262  TUE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT:    OR, 

Somers  was  as  prudent  as  he  was  bold,  and  he  decided 
not  to  run  any  risks  until  necessity  should  absolutely 
compel  such  a  course.  Quietly  ensconcing  himself  be- 
neath the  M'indoWj  where  he  could  hear  what  transpired 
below,  he  waited  the  issue  ;  but  he  had  studied  out  the 
precise  steps  which  it  would  be  necessary  for  him  to  take 
in  order  to  reach  the  roof  of  the  house.  He  knew  ex- 
actly where  his  right  and  his  left  foot  were  to  be  suc- 
cessfully planted  to  achieve  his  purpose,  when  it  could  no 
longer  be  postponed.  But  he  indulged  a  faint  hope  that 
the  rebels  would  widen  the  area  of  their  search,  and 
finally  abandon  it  w^hen  it  should  be  unsuccessful. 

A  long  quarter  of  an  hour  elapsed,  —  long  enough  to  be 
an  hour's  time  as  its  ordinary  flow  is  measured  ;  so  bur- 
dened with  intense  anxiety  was  each  second  that  made 
up  its  sum  total.  The  rebels,  assisted  by  the  farmer  and 
his  wife,  who  were  now  hardly  less  zealous  than  the  sol- 
diers, had  examined  every  hole  and  corner  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  house,  without  finding  the  escaped  prisoner. 

"  I  tell  you,  he  must  be  in  the  house,"  said  the  ser- 
geant, as  the  party  paused  under  the  window  on  their 
return  to  the  front  of  the  house. 

"Of  course,  ye  kin  look  in  the  house  if  yer  like  ;  but  I 
see  'em  both  go  out  of  the  door  with  yer,"  persisted  the 
farmer. 

"  We  will  search  the  house,"  added  the  sergeant  reso- 
lutely. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         263 

"  Yer  kiu,  if  yer  like  ;  but  I  hope  yer  won't  lose  the 
other  fellor  while  yer  looking  for  this  one." 

''  1  told  Gordon  to  shoot  him  if  he  attempted  to  get 
away  ;  and  I  can  trust  Gordon." 

They  passed  out  of  hearing,  and  Somers  felt  that  his 
time  had  come.  But,  as  we  have  several  times  before 
had  occasion  to  remark,  strategy  is  successful  in  one 
only  by  the  blunders  and  inertness  of  the  other ;  and  he 
cherished  with  increased  enthusiasm  his  project  of  hiding 
in  the  chimney.  Neither  the  farmer  nor  the  soldiers 
were  trained  detectives,  and  the  blunder  they  made 
which  rendered  Somers's  strategy  more  available  was  in 
hunting  in  crowds  instead  of  singly.  They  all  entered 
the  house  together  ;  and  even  Gordon,  in  charge  of  the 
other  prisoner,  conducted  him  to  the  interior,  that  he 
might  have  the  pleasm-e  of  seeing  the  fugitive  un- 
earthed. 

Taking  down  the  board,  Somers  emerged  from  the  little 
window,  and,  by  the  steps  which  he  had  before  marked 
out,  ascended  to  the  roof;  a  difficult  feat,  which  would 
have  been  impossible  to  one  whose  father  was  not  the 
master  of  a  vessel,  and  who  had  not  explored  a  ship 
from  the  step  to  the  truck  of  the  mainmast.  It  was  done, 
safely  done,  and  without  much  noise,  which  would  have 
been  as  fatal  as  a  fall.  As  he  sprang  from  the  window 
sill  to  a  projecting  stone  in  the  chimney,  he  heard  the 
steps  of  the  whole  party  on  the  stairs  below.     He  was 


264  TUE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

not  an  instant  too  soon  in  tlie  execution  of  his  project ; 
and,  when  he  reached  the  ridge-pole  of  the  house,  lie 
paused  to  recover  the  breath  which  he  had  lost  by  ex- 
citement and  exertion. 

The  pursuers  occupied  some  time  in  examining  the 
storeroom  and  the  adjoining  chambers,  and  he  had  a 
sufficient  interval  for  rest  before  he  renewed  his  labors. 
But  in  a  few  moments  he  heard  the  noise  caused  by  the 
party  ascending  to  the  loft  over  the  room  beneath  him, 
and  the  movement  could  no  longer  be  delayed. 

"  I  tell  yer,  sergeant,  the  feller  isn't  in  here  ! "  pro- 
tested the  farmer  violently,  and  in  a  tone  loud  enough 
for  Somers  to  hear  him  on  the  roof.  "  Be  keerful  there, 
or  you'll  break  down  the  plastering." 

Somers  could  not  hear  what  the  sergeant  said  in 
reply ;  but  the  farmer  was  so  earnest  in  his  protest 
against  any  further  search  of  his  house,  that  the  fugi- 
tive was  almost  willing  to  believe  that  the  protester 
knew  he  was  in  the  house,  w^as  his  friend,  and  meant 
to  save  him  from  the  hands  of  his  enemies.  But  this 
supposition  was  too  absurd  to  be  tolerated ;  for  the 
farmer  could  have  no  possible  interest  in  his  welfare. 

While  watching,  he  had  taken  off  his  shoes,  and 
thrust  one  into  each  side-pocket  of  the  old  blouse  he 
wore,  partly  to  save  noise,  and  partly  to  prevent  his  feet 
from  slipping  on  the  smooth  stones  of  the  chimney. 
Thus  prepared,  he  climbed  to  the  top,  and  commenced 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         2G5 

the  descent  of  the  smoky  avenue.  He  found  the  open- 
ing much  smaller  than  that  of  liis  previous  experience  in 
chimneys ;  and,  after  he  had  descended  a  few  feet,  the 
place  became  inconveniently  dark.  He  could  no  longer 
hear  the  steps  or  the  voices  of  his  pursuers ;  and  he  had 
begun  to  congratulate  himself  on  the  ultimate  success  of 
his  stratagem,  when  his  foot  struck  upon  something 
which  moved  out  of  his  way.  It  was  an  animal,  — per- 
haps a  cat.     He  moved  on. 

"Quit!      Le'm   me    alone!"   said    a   snarling   voice 
beneath  him. 


266  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXIII. 


THE   MAN   IN    THE    CHIMNEY. 


^^E'M  me  alone  !  "  repeated  the  voice  in  the  chim- 
il  ney  several  times  before  Somers  could  make  up 
his  mind  as  to  the  precise  nature  of  the  adven- 
ture upon  which  he  had  stumbled. 
There  was  another  man  in  the  chimney ;  and  this  was 
the  full  extent  of  his  knowledge  in  regard  to  the  being 
who  had  stepped  into  his  darkened  path.  A  succession 
of  exciting  questions  presented  themselves  to  his  mind, 
all  of  which  were  intimately  connected  with  the  indi- 
vidual with  whom,  for  the  moment,  his  lot  seemed  to  be 
cast.  Was  he  friend,  or  foe?  Yankee,  rebel,  or  neutral? 
What  was  he  in  the  chimney  for  ?  ^Tiat  business  had 
he  there? 

Somers  had  some  knowledge  of  a  useful  and  other\^'ise 
highly  respectable  class  of  persons,  known  as  chimney- 
sweeps, who  pursue  their  dark  trade  up  and  down  such 
places  as  that  in  which  he  was  now  burrowing ;  but  the 
sweeps  were  a  civilized  institution,  and  he  could  hardly 
expect  to   find   them   in  this    benighted   section   of  the 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICE Jl.         2G7 

Ancieut  Dominion.  He  did  not,  therefore,  waste  a 
moment  in  the  consideration  of  the  question,  whether 
the  man  beneath  him  was  a  chimney-sweep  or  not ;  for 
the  supposition  was  too  improbable  even  for  the  pages 
of  a  sensation  novel. 

The  individual  Avas  in  the  chimney  ;  and  there  seemed 
to  be  the  boundary  of  knowledge  on  the  subject.  If  he 
was  not  crazy,  he  was  there  for  concealment  ;  and,  thus 
far,  the  two  occupants  of  the  chimney  were  in  sympathy 
with  each  other.  Why  should  the  man  wish  to  conceal 
himself?  Was  he  a  hated  Yankee  like  himself,  pursued 
and  hunted  down  by  the  myrmidons  of  Jeff.  Davis? 
Certainly,  if  he  was  a  rebel,  he  had  no  business  in  the 
chimney.  It  was  no  place  for  rebels  :  they  had  no  occa- 
sion to  be  there. 

Of  course,  then,  the  man  must  be  a  Yankee,  a  fellow- 
sufferer  with  Somers  himself,  and  therein  entitled  to  the 
utmost  consideration  from  him.  But,  if  a  Yankee,  what 
Yankee  ?  The  species  did  not  abound  on  this  side  of  the 
river ;  and  he  could  not  imagine  who  it  was,  unless  it 
were  one  of  his  own  party.  Just  then,  induced  by  this 
train  of  reflection,  came  a  tremendous  suggestion,  which 
seemed  more  probable  than  any  thing  he  had  before 
thought  of.  Was  it  possible  that  the  other  denizen  of 
the  sooty  flue  could  be  Captain  de  Banyan  ? 

His  fellow-prisoner  had  been  taken  into  tlie  Ikjusc  by 
his  custodian  ;  and,  while  the  guard  was  looking  the  other 


268  TUE    TOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

way,  perhaps  he  had  suddenly  popped  up  the  chimney, 
leavinor  the  rebel  soldier  in  char*2re  of  him  to  believe 
that  he  was  in  league  with  the  powers  of  darkness,  arfd 
had  been  spirited  away  by  some  diabolical  imp. 

In  the  range  of  improbable  theories  which  the  fertile 
mind  of  Somers  suggested  to  account  for  the  phenome- 
non of  the  chimney,  this  seemed  more  reasonable  than 
any  of  the  others.  The  personage  below  him  very  con- 
siderately dropped  down  a  step  or  two,  to  enable  our 
theorist  to  discuss  the  question  to  his  ovni  satisfaction  ; 
albeit  it  did  not  take  him  a  tithe  of  the  time  to  do  his 
thinking  which  it  has  taken  his  biographer  to  re- 
cord it. 

"  Captain?"  said  he  in  a  gentle  whisper,  as  insinuat- 
ing as  the  breath  of  a  summer  evening  to  a  love-sick 
girl. 

"  I  ain't  a  captain :  I'm  nothing  but  a  private ! " 
growled  the  other,  who  seemed  to  be  in  very  ill- 
humor. 

Nothing  but  a  private  !  It  was  not  the  captain  then, 
after  all.  He  had  hoped,  and  almost  believed,  it  was. 
He  had  told  his  friend  all  about  his  experience  in  a 
chimney ;  and  it  seemed  to  him  quite  probable  that  the 
valiant  hero  of  Magenta  and  Solferino  had  remembered 
tlie  aiFair,  and  attempted  to  try  his  OAvn  luck  in  a  similar 
manner.  It  was  not  the  voice  of  the  captain,  nor  were 
there  any  of  his  peculiarities  of  tone  or  manner.    If  the 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         2G9 

Other  character  had  ouly  said  Balaclava,  Alma,  or 
Palestro,  it  would  have  been  entirely  satisfactory  in 
any  tone  or  in   any  manner. 

*'What  are  you  doing  here?"  demanded  Somers  in 
the  same  low  voice,  with  a  commendable  desire  to 
obtain  further  knowledge  of  the  dark  subject  beneath 
him. 

"  I  don't  want  nothin'  of  you  :  so  yer  kin  let  me  alone. 
If  yer  don't  let  me  alone,  I'll  be  dog  derned  if  I  don't 
ketch  hold  of  yer  legs,  and  pull  yer  down  chimley." 

"  Hush  !  "  said  Somers  in  warning  tones.  "  They 
w-ill  hear  you,  if  you  speak  so  loud." 

The  man  was  a  rebel,  or  at  least  a  Southerner ;  and  it 
passed  our  hero's  comprehension  to  determine  what  he 
was  doing  in  such  a  place.  ' 

"Hush  yerself!"  snarled  the  disconcerted  rebel. 
"Wliat  yer  want  o'  me?  I  hain't  done  nothin'  to 
you." 

"  I  don't  want  any  thing  of  you  ;    but,  if  you  don't 
keep    still,    I'll    drop    a    stone    on   your   head,"   replied 
Somers,   irritated  by  the   fellow's  stupidity. 
"Will  yer? 

"  Not  if  you  keep  still.  Don't  you  see  we  are  in  the 
same  box  ?  I  don't  want  to  be  caught,  any  more  than 
you  do." 

"Who  be  yer?"  asked  the  man,  a  little  mollified  by 
this  conciliatory  remark. 


270  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Never  miud  avIio  I  am  now.  The  soldiers  are  in  the 
house  looking  for  us  ;  and,  if  you  make  a  noise,  they  will 
hear  you." 

"What  regiment  do  yer  belong  ter?"  said  the  lower 
occupant  of  the  chimney  in  a  whisper. 

"Forty-first,"  replied  Somers  at  a  venture,  willing  to 
obtain  the  advantage  of  the  fellow's  silence. 

"  Did  yer  run  away  ?  " 

"No.     Did  you?" 

""What  yer  in  here  fur,  if  yer  didn't  run  away,  then?" 
asked  the  deserter  from  the  rebel  armies,  Avhich  it  was 
now  sufficiently  evident  was  his  character. 

"  Keep  still !  "  replied  Somers,  regretting  that  he  had 
not  given  a  different  answer. 

"  I  know  yer  !  "  exclaimed  the  rebel,  making  a  move- 
ment farther  down  the  chimney,  thereby  detaching 
sundry  pieces  of  stone  and  mortar,  which  thundered 
down  upon  the  hearth  below  with  a  din  louder,  as  it 
seemed  to  Somers  in  his  nervousness,  than  all  the  bat- 
teries of  the  Army  of  the  Potomac.  "  Yer  come  to 
ketch  me  in  a  trap.  Scotch  me  if  I  don't  blow  yer 
up  so  high  'twill  take  yer  six  months  ter  come  down 
agin  ! "  ' 

"  Keep  still !  "  pleaded  Somers,  in  despair  at  the  un- 
reasonableness of  the  rebel.  "  The  soldiers  are  after 
me  ;  and,  if  they  catch  me,  they  will  catch  you.  I  don't 
want  to  hurt  you.  If  you  will  only  keep  still,  I  will 
help  you  out  of  the  scrape." 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         271 

*'  You  go  to  Babylon  !  Yer  can't  fool  me  !  What  yer 
doin'  in  the  chiraley  fur?" 

If  Somers  could  quietly  have  put  a  bullet  through 
the  fellow's  head,  and  thus  have  punished  him  for  the 
crime  of  desertion,  he  might  have  promoted  his  ow'?. 
cause :  but  the  bullet  would  not  do  its  work  without 
powder,  and  powder  was  noisy  ;  and  therefore  the 
remedy  was  as  bad  as  the  disorder,  to  say  nothing 
of  assuming  to  himself  the  duty  of  a  rebel  provost- 
marshal. 

*'  Yer  can't  fool  me ! "  repeated  the  fellow,  after 
Somers  had  tried  for  a  moment  the  effect  of  silence 
upon   him. 

It  M\is  unnecessary  to  fool  such  an  idiot ;  for  Nature 
had  effectually  done  the  job  without  human  intervention. 
It  was  useless  to  waste  words  upon  him  ;  and  Somers 
crept  cautiously  up  out  of  his  reach,  and  out  of  his 
hearing,  unless  he  yelled  out  his  insane  speeches. 
Every  moment  he  stopped  to  listen  for  sounds  within 
the  house ;  but  he  could  hear  none,  either  because 
the  pursuers  had  abandoned  the  search,  or  because  the 
double  thickness  of  wood  and  stone  shut  out  the 
noise. 

The  rebel  deserter,  for  a  wonder,  kept  quiet  when 
Somers  retreated  from  him,  evidently  believing  that 
actions  spoke  louder  than  words.  From  his  lower 
position  in  the  flue,   he  could  look  up  into  the  light, 


272  THE    TOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

and  observe  the  niovemcnts  of  liim  "whom  he  regarded 
as  an  enemy.  He  seemed  to  have  discretion  enough 
to  keep  still,  so  long  as  no  direct  attack  Mas  made 
upon  him ;  and  to  be  content  to  wait  for  a  direct 
assault  before  he  attempted  to  repel  it ;  which  was 
certainly  more  than  Somers  expected  of  him,  after 
what    had   transpired. 

Carefully  and  noiselessly  our  fugitive  made  his  way  to 
the  top  of  the  chimney  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  position  of  the  pursuers,  as  well  as  to  remove  all 
ground  of  controversy  w^th  the  intractable  deserter. 
On  reaching  the  top,  he  heard  the  voice  of  the  ser- 
geant at  the  window,  who  had  probably  just  reached 
this   point  in  his   investigations. 

"  How  came  this  board  knocked  off? "  demanded  the 
sergeant,  who  had  perhaps  observed  some  other  indica- 
tions of  the  advance  of  the  fugitive  in  this  direction. 

"  The  wind  bio  wed  it  off  t'other  day,"  promptly  re- 
plied the  farmer.  "  Yer  don't  s'pose  the  feller  went  out 
that  winder,  do  yer?" 

"  No  ;  but  I  think  he  has  been  up  here  somewhere." 

"  Well,  I  hope  yer'll  find  him ;  but  I've  showed  yer 
into  every  hole  and  comer  in  the  house  ;  and  I  tell  yer 
he's  five  mile  from  this  yere  'fore  now." 

The  sergeant  looked  out  the  window,  looked  up  to  the 
top  of  the  chimney,  and  looked  up  to  the  ridge-pole  of  the 
house.     He  was  no  sailor  himself;   and,  if  the  thought 


TTTE  ADVENTURES   OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         273 

had  occurred  to  him  that  the  Yankee  had  passed  from 
this  window  to  the  roof  of  the  house,  he  would  have 
been  willing  to  take  his  Bible  oath  that  not  a  man  in  the 
Southern  Confederacy  could  have  accomplished  such  an 
impossible  feat.  He  could  not  do  it  himself,  and  con- 
sequently he  believed  that  no  other  man  could.  After 
examining  the  situation  to  his  entire  satisfaction,  he 
retired  from  the  window,  and  with  a  great  many  im- 
polite and  wicked  oaths,  aimed  at  Yankees  in  general, 
and  deserters  in  particular,  he  descended  from  the  loft, 
and  abandoned  the  search. 

Somers  was  happy,  and  even  forgave  the  deserter  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  chimney  for  his  stupidity.  He 
waited  patiently  for  the  troopers  to  depart,  —  very  pa- 
tiently, now  that  the  burden  of  the  peril  seemed  to  be 
over  ;  for  he  had  heard  the  conclusions  of  the  sergeant 
at  the  window.  From  his  present  perch  near  the 
top  of  the  chimney,  he  could  hear  some  of  the  conver- 
sation in  front  of  the  house  ;  and  he  even  ventured  to 
take  a  look  at  his  enemies  below.  To  his  intense  satis- 
faction, he  saw  them  mount  their  horses  ;  and  he  was  not 
much  disturbed  by  the  unamiable  reflections  which  they 
cast  upon  him. 

Captain  de  Banyan  was  Avith  them  ;  thus  proving  in 

the  most  conclusive  manner  that  the  gentleman  in  the 

chimney  was  not  this  distinguished  individual.     Having 

lost   one   prisoner,   they  were   particularly  cautious   in 

18 


274  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

regard  to  the  disposition  of  the  other.  The  captain 
marched  off  in  gloomy  dignity,  with  two  cavalrjTnen 
before  and  two  behind  him.  Somers  caught  a  glance 
at  his  face  as  he  turned  the  corner  into  the  road.  It 
was  sad  beyond  any  thing  which  he  had  ever  observed 
in  his  countenance  before,  and  a  momentary  twinge  of 
conscience  upbraided  him  for  deserting  a  comrade  in 
such  an  hour :  he  might  have  waited  till  both  of  them 
could  escape  together.  But  the  captain's  record  in  the 
Third  Tennessee  assured  him  that  he  had  only  done 
his  duty  ;  though  he  hoped  his  brilliant  friend  would  be 
able,  if  an  opportunity  was  ever  presented,  to  remove 
the  stain  which  now  rested  on  his  name  and  fame. 

With  a  feeling  of  intense  relief,  however  much  he 
commiserated  the  misfortunes  of  his  comrade,  Somers 
saw  the  little  procession  move  up  the  road  which  led  to 
Richmond  and  a  rebel  dungeon.  They  disappeared  ;  and 
while  he  was  considering  in  what  manner  he  should 
make  his  way  down  to  the  creek,  where  he  hoped  to  find 
a  boat  in  which  to  leave  this  treacherous  soil,  lie  heard  a 
voice  beneath  him,  and  farther  do'svn  than  the  locality  of 
the  deserter. 

"  Yer  kin  come  down  now,  Tom,"  said  the  farmer. 

Though  the  name  was  his  o^ti,  the  invitation  was 
evidently  not  intended  for  him  ;  and  he  remained  quietly 
on  his  perch,  waiting  for  further  developments. 

"  Hev  they  all  gone,  dad?"  asked  the  deserter. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.  .      275 

"  Yes  :  all  gone.     Yer  kin  come  down  now." 

The  renegade,  then,  was  the  son  of  the  farmer ;  which 
accounted  for  the  unwillingness  of  the  latter  to  have  the 
house  searched  by  the  soldiers  :  and,  though  Somers  had 
a  general  contempt  for  deserters,  he  felt  his  indebtedness 
to  this  interesting  family  for  the  service  they  had  unwit- 
tingly endeavored  to  render  him. 

Tom — Somers  wanted  to  have  his  name  changed  then 
—  Tom  descended  from  his  position  in  the  chimney.  It 
was  an  easy  matter  ;  for  the  kitchen  was  at  the  other  end 
of  the  house,  and  there  had  been  no  fire  on  this  hearth 
for  many  a  month. 

"  Dad,"  said  this  graceless  son  of  a  graceless  sire. 

"  Go  and  wash  yer  face,  Tom.  Yer  blacker  than 
Black  Jack." 

"  Dad,  there's  another  man  up  the  chimley.  We  come 
near  havin'  a  fight  up  there.  I  told  him  what  I  would 
do  ;  and  he  got  skeered,  and  went  up  top." 

"  What  d'  yer  mean,  Tom?"  demanded  the  patriarch. 

Tom  stated  again,  more  explicitly  than  before,  the 
subject-matter  of  his  startling  communication. 

"  I  reckon  he's  a  Yank,  dad :  he  talks  like  one,  but 
says  he  b'longs  to  the  Forty-fust  Virginny.  I  know  he's 
a  Yank.     I  kin  smell  one  a  mile  off." 

Somers  was  flattered  ;  but  he  was  not  angry  at  the 
compliment,  and  calmly  waited  for  an  invitation  to  join 
the  family  below. 


276  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  He's  the  feller  that  gin  the  soldiers  the  slip,"  added 
the  father.  *'  The  sergeant  says  he's  a  Yank  ;  but  t'other 
prisoner  says  he's  a  James-River  pilot." 

"  I  know  he's  a  Yank.  He'd  a  killed  me  if  I  hadn't 
skeered  him  off." 

"  I  reckon  he  skeered  you  more'n  you  skeered  him,", 
added  the  head  of  the  family,  who  appeared  not  to  have 
a  very  high  opinion  of  his  son's  courage.     "We'll  smoke 
him  out,  Tom.     Go'n  git   some   pitch -wood  and   sich 
truck." 

Somers  had  a  very  strong  objection  to  being  smoked 
out,  and  he  commenced  a  forward  and  downward  move- 
ment in  the  direction  of  the  assailing  party.  Fearing 
that  some  unworthy  advantage  might  be  taken  of  his 
lower  extremities  before  he  could  assume  an  attitude  of 
defence,  he  drew  his  pistol,  and  placed  himself  a  few  feet 
above  the  fire-place.  Tom  returned  with  the  fuel,  and 
the  old  man  ordered  him  to  make  a  fire. 

"One  moment,  if  you  please,"  said  Somers.  "I'll 
shoot  the  first  man  of  you  that  attempts  to  make  a  fire 
there." 

With  an  exclamation  of  terror,  Tom  retreated  from 
the  hearth ;  and  Somers,  improving  the  opportunity, 
leaped  do^^^l  from  his  perch.  Stepping  out  from  the 
great  fire-place,  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  hopeful 
son  and  sire. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AllMY   OFFICE Ji.         277 


CHAPTER   XXiy. 


A   BROKEN    BARGAIN. 


OMERS  was  entirely  satisfied  with  himself 
when  he  stood  in  the  presence  of  the  farmer 
and  his  son  ;  and,  so  far  as  they  were  concerned, 
he  had  no  fears  for  the  future.  The  redoubta- 
ble Tom  retired  to  one  corner  of  the  room,  and,  full  of 
terror,  awaited  the  issue.  The  father  was  the  braver  of 
the  two,  and  stood  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  confront- 
ing the  pestilent  Yankee  who  had  thus  so  unceremoni- 
ously invaded  his  house. 

"  Who  be  you?"  demanded  the  old  man. 
"  No  matter  wlio  I  am,"   replied  Somers,  with  the 
pistol  stiU  in  his  hands.     "  I  propose  to  spend  the  day 
Avith  you,  and  will  pay  for  every  thing  I  have." 

"  Perhaps  yer  will  stay  here,  and  perhaps  yer  won't," 
replied  the  farmer  doggedly. 

"  There  is  no  perhaps  about  it :  I  intend  to  stay  here." 
"  I  s'pose  yer  don't  keer  whether  Pm  willing  or  not." 
"  On  the  contrary,  I  do  care.     I  had  much  rather  stay 
with  your  consent  than  without." 


278  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Well,  then,  yer  won*t  stay  with  my  consent.'' 

"  Then  I  shall  stay  without  it,"  answered  Somers, 
with  a  degree  of  decision  which  was  exceedingly  annoy- 
ing to  his  involuntary  host. 

"  No,  yer  won't,"  growled  the  farmer. 

"  I  will  pay  you  well  for  the  use  of  this  room,  and  for 
all  that  I  eat  and  drink,"  said  Somers,  wishing  to  be 
fully  understood. 

"  Yer  can't  stay  here." 

"  No,  yer  can't,"  added  Tom. 

"  I  have  made  you  a  fair  offer,  and  am  willing  to  do 
what  is  right ;  and,  as  I  said  before,  I  intend  to  stay  here 
till  to-night,  whether  you  are  willing  or  not." 

"  Yer  kin  put  up  your  pistol :   I  ain't  afeerd  on  it." 

"  I  have  no  desire  to  use  the  pistol  to  your  injury, 
and  shall  not  do  so  unless  in  self-defence.  You  know 
that  I  am  a  fugitive." 

"  A  nigger,  by  gracious ! "  exclaimed  the  farmer, 
whose  vocabulary  was  very  limited,  and  who  had  no  idea 
that  the  word  "  fugitive  "  could  mean  any  thing  but  a 
runaway  negro. 

"  You  know  that  the  soldiers  are  after  me,  and  it  will 
not  be  safe  for  me  to  leave  this  house  before  dark.  Tm 
not  a  nigger  ;  and  it  makes  no  difference  to  you  what  I 
am." 

"  You  are  a  dirty  Yankee  ;  and  I'd  rather  hev  a  hun- 
dred niggers  in  my  liouse  than  one  Yankee.'* 


THE   ADVEXTUnF!^    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         279 

"  That* s  a  matter  of  taste.  If  you  are  fond  of  ne- 
groes, I  don't  interfere  with  you  for  thaf." 

"  Shet  up  !  "  snarled  the  farmer,  highly  displeased  with 
the  answer  of  the  fugitive.  "  I  won't  hev  a  Yankee  in 
ray  house  a  single  hour." 

"  Very  well :  we  won't  argue  the  matter.  You  can  do 
any  thing  you  please  about  it,"  replied  Somers  with  per- 
fect indifference  as  he  seated  himself  in  a  chair. 

*'  Then  yer  kin  leave." 

"  I  shall  not  leave :  on  the  contrary,  I  shall  remain 
here  till  night." 

"  I  reckon  we'll  see  about  that.  I'll  jest  go  down  and 
call  up  two  or  three  of  them  soldiers,  and  let  'em  know 
you're  a  Yankee.  I  calkilate  they'll  tote  you  out  of  this 
rather  sudden." 

"  Go  ahead  !  "  replied  Somers  coolly. 

"  I  reckon  ye'll  tell  another  story  by  the  time  they 
git  here.'* 

"  I  reckon  your  son  Tom  will  too,"  added  the  unwel- 
come guest. 

"  See  here,  dad  :  that  won't  work,  nohow,"  interposed 
the  hopeful  son.     "  They'll  ketch  me  if  yer  do." 

"  Exactly  so,"  added  Somers,  who,  of  course,  had  de- 
pended upon  the  situation  of  the  rebel  deserter  for  his 
own  safety. 

The  farmer  looked  at  his  intractable  guest,  and  then 
upon  his  dutiful  son  ;  and  the  idea  tardily  passed  through 


280  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

his  dull  brain  that  the  soldiers  would  be  just  as  dangerous 
to  the  welfare  of  the  son  as  to  the  visitor.  Probably  he 
had  intended,  when  the  military  force  came,  to  send  Tom 
up  the  chimney,  as  he  had  done  a  dozen  times  before  ; 
but  the  secret  was  no  longer  in  the  keeping  of  the  family 
alone. 

"  I  see  you  understand  the  case  perfectly,'*  said 
Somers,  as  he  contemplated  with  intense  satisfaction 
the  blank  dismay  of  both  father  and  son.  "  If  you  had 
the  wisdom  of  Solomon,  you  couldn't  comprehend  it  any 
better." 

"  I  reckon  yer  about  right,  stranger,"  replied  the 
farmer. 

"  You  can  see  now  it  is  for  your  interest  as  well  as 
mine  that  Ave  make  friends.  Tom's  safety  and  mine  are 
both  the  same  thing.  The  best  you  can  do  is  to  take 
good  care  of  me  to-day,  and  at  night  help  me  to  make 
my  way  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  river." 

"  Then  yer  be  a  Yank  ?  " 

"  I  didn't  say  so.  Tom  can  go  with  me  if  he  likes. 
He  will  be  safer  there  than  here." 

"Tom?" 

"  If  he  is  a  deserter  from  the  rebel  army,  he  will  be 
caught  sooner  or  later,  and  be  shot.  He  will  be  safe 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river." 

"  Go  over  to  the  Yanks  !  He  hates  'em  wurs'n  pizin. 
Don't  yer,  Tom  ?  " 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.        281 

"  Bet  yer  life  I  do,  dad,"  replied  the  hopeful  son.  "  I 
wou't  go  over  thar,  nohow." 

"  Just  as  he  pleases  about  that.  I  only  wanted  to  do 
him  a  friendly  act." 

"  Well,  stranger,  I  don't  mind  keepin'  yer  to-day  ;  but 
Tom  can't  go  with  yer." 

"  Very  well :  then  I  will  stay  in  this  room  ;  and,  if  the 
soldiers  come,  I  can  go  up  the  chimney  with  Tom,"  re- 
plied Somers.  "  I'm  tired  and  sleepy.  Didn't  sleep  a 
wink  last  night.  I  will  take  a  nap  on  the  floor.  You 
will  wake  me,  Tom,  if  there's  any  danger  ;  won't  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I'll  wake  yer,"  replied  the  deserter  with  a 
broad  grin. 

"  We'll  see  that  yer  don't  git  caught ;  kase,  if  yer  do, 
of  course,  Tom'll  git  caught  too,"  added  the  "farmer. 

There  was  something  in  his  manner  which  Somers  did 
not  like.  Though  he  was  a  man  of  dull  mind,  there  was 
a  kind  of  low  cunning  visible  in  his  look  and  manner 
which  warned  Somers  to  be  cautious.  He  stretched 
himself  on  the  floor ;  and  the  farmer  and  his  son  left 
the  room,  closing  the  door  behind  them. 

Our  scout  was,  as  he  had  before  declared,  both  tired 
and  sleepy  ;  but  rest  and  sleep  were  luxuries  in  which  he 
could  not  permit  himself  to  indulge  in  the  midst  of  so 
much  peril  and  so  many  enemies.  As  soon  as  the  door 
closed  behind  the  sire  and  the  son,  he  rose  from  his  re- 
clining posture,  and  hastened  to  reconnoitre  the  position. 


282  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

The  enemy  —  for  such  )ie  was  fully  assured  his  host  was 
—  passed  through  the  entry,  and  out  the  door  at  the  back 
of  the  house,  as  Somers  discovered  from  the  noise  of 
their  retreating  footsteps. 

There  was  a  window  in  the  rear  of  the  room,  which 
commanded  a  full  view  of  them  as  they  paused  near  the 
door  to  consider  the  situation.  Somers  raised  the  sash 
a  little,  so  that  he  could  hear  what  they  said,  not  doubt- 
ing that  his  o\\u  case  would  be  the  subject  of  the  con- 
versation. 

"  Don't  you  do  it,  dad,"  protested  Tom  in  answer  to 
some  proposition  which  the  farmer  had  made  before  the 
listener  came  within  hearing  distance  of  them. 

"  Don't  yer  be  skeert,  Tom.  The  feller's  gone  ter 
sleep  in  there,  and  the  soldiers  kin  hurry  him  off  afore 
he  wakes  up.  Don't  yer  see,  Tom?  I  reckon  the 
Yank's  an  officer,  and  they'll  give  me  sunthin  hand- 
some for  ketchin  him." 

"  Yes ;  but,  dad,  they'll  get  sunthin  handsome  fur 
ketchin  me  too." 

"  You  kin  hide,  as  yer  allers  does  when  they  comes." 

"  But  the  Yank  will  blow  on  me." 

"What  if  he  does?" 

"  He'll  tell  'em  I'm  up  chimley,  and  then  they'll  look 
fur  me." 

"  Tom,  yer  a  bigger  fool'n  yer  father !  "  said  the 
farmer  petulantly.  "  Can't  yer  hide  in  t'other  place  do\vii 
suller?" 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         283 

"  It  looks  kinder  skeery,  dad,"  replied  the  doubtful 
son. 

"  Yer  used  ter  hide  down  suller  more'n  yer  did  up 
chimley.  But  don't  yer  see,  Tom,  arter  I've  called  in 
the  soldiers,  and  give  up  the  Yank,  they'll  think  I'm  a 
patriot,  and  won't  b'leeve  nothin'  a  dirty  Yank  can  say 
agin  me  ?  " 

"  Well,  dad,  I  hate  the  Yank  as  bad  as  you  do ;  but 
yer  must  be  keerful." 

"  Now  go  and  see  that  the  feller  don't  wake  up  and 
run  off,  and  I'll  go  down  arter  a  sergeant  and  half  a 
dozen  men.  "When  yer  hear  us  comin',  just  step  down 
suUer'n  crawl  inter  the  drean.  Git  the  feller's  pistol 
out  of  his  pocket,  if  yer  kin,  while  he's  asleep." 

''  What  a  precious  old  scoundrel  that  man  is ! " 
thought  Somers,  as  he  retreated  from  the  window,  and 
threw  himself  on  the  floor  w^here  the  farmer  had  left 
him. 

He  almost  regretted  that  he  had  not  used  his  pistol  on 
the  treacherous  old  villain,  who  had  made  a  fair  bargain 
with  him,  and  agreed  to  the  terms  of  the  contract.  The 
wretch  had  actually  gone  after  the  soldiers  to  entrap 
him,  and  Tom  was  to  remain  and  keep  watch  of  him 
in  the  mean  time.  Taking  the  revolver  from  his  pocket, 
he  thrust  it  under  his  blouse  ;  still  keeping  his  hand  upon 
it,  so  as  to  make  sure  that  the  deserter  did  not  carry  out 
his  part  of  the  programme.     Thus  prepared  for  the  con- 


284  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

flict  Avliicli  might  ensue,  or  for  any  other  event,  he  closed 
his  eyes,  and  pretended  to  be  asleep. 

Presently  the  door  softly  opened,  and  Tom  crept  into 
the  room.  He  had  taken  off  his  shoes,  that  his  step  on 
the  uncarpeted  floor  might  not  disturb  his  prey,  and  stole 
towards  him.  After  approaching  as  near  to  the  pros- 
trate form  as  be  dared,  he  bent  over  him  to  determine 
in  which  pocket  the  pistol  had  been  placed.  Somers 
was  tempted  to  grapple  him  by  the  throat,  as  he  lis- 
tened to  the  young  villain's  subdued  breathing ;  but  he 
feared  that  he  would  scream  if  he  did  so,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  achieve  his  conquest  in  a  more  gentle 
manner. 

He  moved  his  body  a  little,  as  if  his  slumbers  were 
disturbed  by  unpleasant  dreams  ;  and  added  a  noise  like 
a  snore  to  complete  the  delusion.  Tom  retired  for  a 
moment  till  his  victim  should  again  be  composed  ;  but 
Somers,  instead  of  subsiding  into  the  slumber  of  a  sleepy 
and  tired  man,  gradually  opened  his  eyes  and  waked  up. 
Slowly  rising  into  a  sitting  posture,  he  looked  around 
him ;  and  apparently,  as  if  entirely  by  accident,  he  dis- 
cerned Tom. 

"Can't  yer  sleep?"  asked  Tom,  with  extraordinary 
good  nature  for  a  person  of  his  saturnine  disposition. 

"  I've  been  asleep  these  two  hours,  I  believe,"  gaped 
Somers.     "  What  time  is  it,  Tom?  " 

"  'Tain't  eight  o'clock  yet.  Yer  hain't  been  asleep 
more*n  fifteen  minutes." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.        285 

"Haven't  I?" 

*'  Not  more'n  that.  Better  lay  down,  and  finish  yer 
nap  ;  kase  I  spose  yer  won't  git  much  sleep  to-night,  if 
yer  gwine  over  the  river." 

"  1  feel  better  than  I  did,  at  any  rate.  I  think  I'll 
get  up.  It's  tremendous  hot  here.  Don't  you  ever  open 
your  windows  ?  " 

"  I  reckon  we  do.     I  was  just  thinkiu'  o'  that." 

And  it  was  quite  probable  he  was  thinking  of  it ;  for 
he  certainly  wanted  the  earliest  information  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  soldiers.  He  opened  the  window  in  the 
front  of  the  house,  and  Somers  opened  that  in  the  rear. 
The  latter  then  went  to  the  door,  and  took  a  careful  sur- 
vey of  the  entry,  in  order  to  determine  the  way  which 
the  deserter  must  take  to  reach  the  cellar,  where  he  was 
to  conceal  himself  when  the  soldiers  came.  The  pru- 
dent son  of  the  master  of  the  house  had  opened  the  door 
leading  to  the  cellar,  from  which  he  was  to  enter  his 
subterranean  retreat. 

For  more  than  an  hour,  Tom  nervously  watched  the 
wakeful  Yankee,  and  several  times  suggested  to  him  that 
he  could  sleep  just  as  well  as  not,  promising  to  wake 
him  up  if  there  was  any  danger ;  but  Somers  was  most 
provokingly  lively  for  a  man  Avho  had  been  up  all  the 
preceding  night,  and  resolutely  refused  to  take  a  hint  or 
to  adopt  a  suggestion.  Both  of  them  were  fearfully 
anxious  for  the  result  that  was  pending,  and  each  had 


286  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;     OR, 

his  plan  for  overreaching  the  other.  It  was  a  long  hour  ; 
but  at  last  Tom  broke  the  spell  which  seemed  to  rest  on 
both  of  them  by  declaring  that  he  was  "  clean  choked 
up,"  and  must  go  and  get  a  drink  of  water.  At  the 
same  moment,  Somers  heard  the  tramp  of  the  soldiers 
in  the  road  as  they  approached  the  house,  and  under- 
stood Avhy  his  companion  had  suddenly  become  so 
thirsty. 

"  No,"  said  Somers,  placing  himself  between  the 
deserter  and  the  door,  with  the  revolver  in  his  hand. 
"  I  don't  want  to  be  left  alone.  Somebody  is  coming  to 
the  house,  —  half  a  dozen  men.  They  are  soldiers  !  "  he 
exclaimed,  glancing  out  at  the  window. 

"  Kun  right  up  chimley  thar,  and  you'll  be  as  safe  as 
if  you  was  t'other  side  of  the  river." 

*'  But  they'll  catch  you  too  !  Come,  Tom,  up  chim- 
ney with  you,  and  I'll  follow.  If  any  one  attempts  to 
follow  us,  I'll  shoot  him  Avith  my  pistol.  Be  in  a  hurry, 
Tom !  We  have  no  time  to  spare,"  urged  Somers,  driv- 
ing the  coward  before  him  towards  the  fire-place. 

"  You  go  up  fust,"  pleaded  Tom,  in  mortal  terror  of 
the  revolver. 

"  Up  with  you,  or  I'll  blow  your  brains  out !  "  added 
Somers  in  a  low,  fierce  "tone,  which  frightened  his  com- 
panion half  out  of  his  wits. 

"  Don't  fire,  and  I  will,"  replied  the  A\Tetch,  as  he 
stepped  into  the  fire-place,  and  commenced  the  ascent  of 
the  chimney. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICE Ji.         287 

*'  Up  with  you  !  "  repeated  Somers.  "  Now,  if  you 
attempt  to  come  down,  I'll  shoot  you." 

The  voice  of  the  farmer,  leading  the  soldiers  to  their 
prey,  was  now  heard  close  to  the  house  ;  and  Somers 
deemed  it  prudent  no  longer  to  remain  in  the  room. 
Darting  out  into  the  entry,  he  made  his  way  to  the 
cellar,  closing  the  door  behind  him  just  as  the  rebels 
were  about  to  enter. 

"Where  is  he?"  demanded  the  sergeant,  who  belonged 
to  the  battery  at  the  Avorks  near  the  house. 

''  In  this  room,"  replied  the  farmer,  putting  his  hand 
on  the  door  of  the  apartment  where  he  had  seen  the 
victim  lie  down  to  sleep  an  hour  before.  "  But  yer 
must  be  keerful  with  him.  He  had  a  pistol,  and  mebbe 
he  mought  shoot  some  on  us." 

"  We  aren't  afraid  of  all  the  Yankees  this  side  of  the 
North  Pole,"  added  the  sergeant,  as  he  pushed  the  door 
open  and  entered  the  room,  followed  by  his  squad  of 
soldiers.  "  AYhere  is  he  ?  There  aren't  no  Yankee 
here." 

"  Well,  he  was  here  an  hour  ago,"  said  the  farmer. 

"  See  here,  old  man,  if  you've  been  makin'  a  fool  of 
us  this  hot  day,  I'll  spit  you  on  my  bayonet.  We  heard 
that  a  deserter  and  a  Yankee  had  been  taken,  and  that 
the  cavalry  lost  one  of  them." 

"  That  was  the  Yankee.  They  lost  him,  and  I  found 
him  again." 


288  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"Where  is  he,  then?" 

"  He  aren't  far  from  here,"  said  the  farmer,  walking 
up  to  the  fire-place,  and  pointing  up  the  chimney,  where 
he  had  no  doubt  the  victim  had  retired  when  he  heard 
the  soldiers  approaching. 

"Up  there?' 

"  That's  where  the  feller  hid  when  the  troopers  was 
lookin'  for  him  ;  and  yer  kin  be  sure  he's  up  there  now. 
But  yer  must  be  keerful ;  fur  he's  got  a  pistol,  and  is  a 
mighty  savage  fellow." 

"  We'll  soon  bring  him  down,"  added  the  sergeant,  as 
he  stepped  into  the  fire-place,  and  looked  up  the  chimney. 
"  I  see  him  ;  but  he's  half  way  up  to  the  top.  I  reckon 
we  can  smoke  him  out  best.  Come,  old  man,  take  some 
of  this  pitch- wood :  that  will  make  a  big  smoke,  and 
kindle  a  fire." 

"  We'll  soon  have  him,"  said  the  farmer  as  he  obeyed 
the  order. 

"  I  say,  Yank !  "  shouted  the  sergeant  up  the  chimney  ; 
"  if  you  don't  want  to  be  smoked  out,  come  dowTi." 

Ko  answer  came  to  this  polite  suggestion  ;  and  then 
one  of  the  soldiers  proposed  to  fire  his  musket  up  the 
chimney ;  which  so  terrified  the  occupant  thereof,  that  he 
begged  for  mercy. 

"  Don't  shoot,  and  I'll  come  dowTi ! "  groaned  the 
wretch. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         289 

"  The  cowardly  Yank  !  He's  like  all  the  rest  of  them. 
Come  clown  quick,  then  !  " 

The  farmer,  who  had  stepped  out  for  more  wood, 
returned ;  and,  at  the  same  moment,  Tom  the  deserter, 
begrimed  with  soot,  dropped  down  on  the  hearth,  and 
stepped  out  into  the  room. 

19 


290  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    Oli, 


CHAPTER    XXV. 

SOJTERS    IS    COMPELLED    TO    BACK    OUT. 

/4j/^ERY  likely  the  Virginia  farmer  had  some  idea 
^ri  of  retributive  justice  when  he  sa^v  his  hopeful 
^%./  son  step  out  of  the  fire-place  into  the  very  jaws 
of  ruin.  To  say  that  he  was  astonished  would 
be  expressing  his  state  of  mind  too  tamely  ;  for  he  Avas 
overwhelmed  Avith  confusion,  fear,  and  mortification. 
He  had  expected  to  find  the  Yankee  asleep  on  the  floor ; 
but,  as  he  was  not  there,  it  was  sufficiently  evident  to 
him  that  he  had  again  resorted  to  the  chimney  for  con- 
cealment. It  had  been  distinctly  arranged  beforehand, 
that  Tom,  his  son,  should  conceal  himself  in  the  cellar  ; 
and,  of  course,  he  did  not  expect  to  find  him  in  the 
chimney. 

In  short,  all  his  expectations  had  boon  defeated,  and 
he  himself  had  opened  the  trap  for  his  son  to  enter.  He 
probably  knevv^  how  strict  was  the  discipline  of  the  rebel 
army  in  respect  to  deserters.  He  had  frequently  heard 
of  executions  of  persons  of  this  class;  and  he  could 
hardly  expect  his  son  to  escape  the  penalty  of  his  mis- 
conduct.    He  had  broken  his  bargain  with  the  fugitive  ; 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.         291 

and,  in  attempting  to  surrender  him  to  his  implacable 
enemies,  he  had  deprived  his  heir  of  liberty,  if  not  of 
life. 

"This  is  your  Yankee,  is  it?"  demanded  the  sergeant, 
as  he  gazed  at  the  remnants  of  the  rebel  uniform  which 
Tom  still  wore. 

"No,  no  ;  this  ain't  the  Yankee !  "  stammered  the 
Axrmer. 

"  Well,  you  needn't  tell  us  who  he  is  ;  for  we  know.  I 
was  told  to  keep  a  sharp  lookout  for  one  Tom  Rigney, 
a  deserter  ;  and  I  reckon  this  is  the  chap.  You  are  my 
prisoner,  my  fine  lad." 

"There,  now,  dad!  —  d'ye  see  what  ye've  done?" 
snarled  poor  Tom  Rigney,  as  he  glanced  reproachfully 
at  the  patriarch,  who  had  unwittingly  sprung  the  trap 
upon  him. 

"I  didn't  do  it,  Tom,"  replied  Farmer  Rigney, 
appalled    at    the    calamity    which    had    overtaken    his 

house.  .^         ^^>^ 

"  Didn't  yml'WC^Tne  in  here  to  capture  this  boy?" 
asked  the  sergeant,  who  appeared  to  be  bewildered  by 
the  unnatural  act  of  the  father. 

"I  brought  yer  iiere  to  take  the  Yank,  who  was  as 
sassy  as  a  four-year-old  colt." 

"  He  promised  the  Yankee  he'd  take  keer  on  him  till 
night,"  added  the  vengeful  Tom. 

"  That  was  only  to  keep  him  here  till  I  could  fotch 


292  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

somebody  to  take  keer  on  him,"  pleaded  the  farmer. 
"  The  Yank  must  be  up  ehimley  now,"  he  continued, 
reminded  that  his  own  reputation  for  loyahy  to  the 
great  and  general  Southern  Confederacy  was  now 
doubly  compromised. 

"  He  ain't  up  there,  dad,  nohow,"  said  Tom 

"Where  is  he?"  demanded  the  sergeant. 

"Dunno." 

"  Where  did  he  go  ?  " 

"  Dunno." 

"  Didn't  you  see  him?  " 

"I  reckon  it  was  too  dark,  up  chimley,  to  see  any 
thing." 

"  Haven't  you  seen  him?" 

"  I  reckon  I  have.  He  woked  up,  and  druv  me  up 
chimley  right  smart,  with  the  pistol  in  his  hand  :  reckon, 
if  I  hadn't  gone,  I'd  been  a  dead  man  ;  I'll  be  dog 
scotched  if  I  shouldn't.'* 

"  You  say  he  drove  you  up  the  chimney?  "  demanded 
the  sergeant. 

"  I  reckon  he  did." 

"Where  did  he  go,  then?" 

"  Dunno." 

"  Yes,  you  do  know !  If  you  don't  tell,  you'll  get  a 
bayonet  through  your  vitals,"  said  the  soldier  sternly, 
as  he  demonstrated  with  the  ugly  weapon  he  had  fixed 
on  his  gun  before  he  began  to  examine  the  chimney. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY'    OFFICER.         293 

"  Dunno,"  replied  the  deserter  sulkily. 

*'  Answer,  or  take  the  consequences  !  " 

"  Dunno.  Jes  as  lief  be  stuck  with  a  bagonet  as  shot 
by  a  file  of  soldiers,"  answered  Tom,  to  whom  the 
future  looked  even  more  dark  than  the  present. 

''  Tell,  Tom,"  pleaded  his  father. 

"Dunno,  dad  :  I  was  up  chimley  when  he  left.  Dun- 
no no  more'n  the  dead." 

Perhaps  the  sergeant  concluded  that  Tom's  position 
was  a  reasonable  one,  and  that  it  Avould  not  have  been 
possible  for  him  to  see,  from  his  dark  retreat,  where  the 
Yankee  had  gone.  At  any  rate,  he  was  saved  from 
further  persecution  ;  and  two  of  the  men  were  ordered  to 
conduct  him  to  the  camp,  while  the  remainder  staid  to 
continue  the  search  for  the  fugitive.  Farmer  Rigney 
protested  and  pleaded,  and  even  offered  to  warm  the 
palms  of  the  soldier's  hands  with  certain  pieces  of  gold 
Avhich  he  had  in  the  house  ;  but,  unfortunately  for  the 
patriotic  farmer,  the  sergeant  was  above  a  bribe,  and 
Tom  was  hurried  off  to  his  doom. 

A  careful  search  of  the  house  and  premises  was  now 
instituted ;  and  this  time  the  farmer  was  a  zealous 
co-operator  with  the  soldiers  ;  for  it  was  necessary  for 
him  to  establish  his  own  loyalty  before  he  could  do 
any  thing  to  save  his  son  from  the  deserter's  fate. 
The  party  proceeded  up  stairs  first,  and  carefully  ex- 
amined every  closet,  and  every  nook  and  corner  which 


294  TUE    YOVNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

could  by  any  possibility  contain  tbe  form  of  a  man. 
As  Somers  Avas  not  up  stairs,  of  course  they  did  not 
find  him  ;  and  we  will  not  weary  our  readers  by  follow- 
ing them  in  their  fruitless  search. 

Somers  Avent  down  into  the  cellar,  dosing  the  door 
after  him  ;  and,  as  he  may  be  lonesome  in  his  gloomy 
retreat,  we  will  join  him  there,  though  it  was  rather  a 
tight  place  for  more  than  one  person.  The  cellar  was 
dark  when  the  fugitive  made  his  advent  Avithin  its 
sombre  shades  ;  and,  as  he  Avas  an  utter  stranger  in 
the  place,  he  Avas  not  a  little  bcAvildered  by  the  aAvk- 
Avardness  of  the  situation.  He  Avas  in  darkness,  and 
AA'ished  for  light ;  at  least,  for  enough  to  enable  him 
to  find  the  hiding-place  of  AA'hich  he  had  heard  the 
farmer  speak. 

This  snug  retreat,  Avhere  the  deserter  had  balked  his 
pursuers,  Avas  undoubtedly  the  cellar  drain  ;  though,  to 
Somers,  it  appeared  to  be  a  Virginia  notion  to  haA'e  it 
long  enough  to  admit  the  form  of  a  man.  Tom  Rigney 
Avas  a  larger  person  than  himself;  and  the  case  Avas  hope- 
ful enough,  if  he  could  only  find  the  opening.  The 
cellar  contained  Aarious  boxes,  barrels,  firkins,  and 
other  articles,  the  mass  of  Avhich  Avere  piled  up  in  one 
comer. 

Somers  foUoAved  the  AA^all  entirely  around,  from  the 
pile  in  the  corner,  till  he  returned  to  it,  without  finding 
what  he  desired.     It  Avas  sufficiently  evident,  therefore, 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         295 

that  the  entrance  to  the  drain  was  under  the  boxes  and 
barrels,  which  had  probably  been  placed  over  it  to  ward 
oil'  the  ovcr-iuquisitive  gaze  of  any  visitors  who  might 
explore  the  cellar.  Our  enterprising  hero  immediately 
commenced  the  Mork  of  burrowing  beneath  the  rubbish, 
and  soon  had  the  happiness  of  discovering  the  identical 
road  by  which  the  original  occupant  of  the  place  had 
entered.  Before  the  opening,  he  found  sufficient  space 
to  enable  him  to  re-adjust  the  boxes  and  barrels,  so  as  to 
hide  his  den  from  the  observation  of  any  Avho  might  be 
disposed  to  follow  him  in  his  subterranean  explorations. 

The  drain  Avas  certainly  small  enough,  even  for  the 
genteel  form  of  Captain  Thomas  Somers  ;  though,  as  his 
mustache  was  quite  diminutive  in  its  proportions,  he 
was  able  to  worry  himself  along  several  feet  into  the 
gloomy  hole.  It  was  a  miserable  place  in  which  to 
spend  the  day ;  but,  miserable  as  it  Avas,  he  hoped 
that  he  should  be  permitted  to  remain  there.  He  was 
fully  conscious  of  the  perils  of  his  situation.  He  knew 
lliat  Tom,  in  the  chimney,  must  be  captured  ;  and  it 
M  as  not  probable  that  the  farmer  would  let  the  soldiers 
depart  without  examining  the  house.  His  retreat  was 
known  to  him,  and  there  was  not  one  chance  in  a  hun- 
dred for  the  hole  tg  be  passed  by  without  an  exam- 
ination. 

It  would  be  fatal  to  remain  where  he  was  ;  and,  after 
resting  himself  from  the  fatigue  which  the  exertion  of 


296  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

moving  in  his  narrow  den  induced,  he  again  pushed 
forward,  cheered  by  the  conclusion  that  a  drain  would 
be  a  useless  institution  without  an  opening  at  each  end. 
Indeed,  there  was  a  glimmer  of  light  at  some  distance 
before  him  ;  and  he  indulged  the  hope  that  he  might 
work  his  way  out  to  the  blue  sky. 

He  had  scarcely  resumed  his  progressive  movement, 
which  had  to  be  accomplished  very  much  after  the 
fashion  of  a  serpent,  —  for  the  aperture  was  too  narrow 
for  the  regular  exercise  of  his  legs  and  arms,  —  he  had 
scarcely  begun  to  move  before  voices  in  the  cellar 
announced  the  approach  of  the  pursuers.  A  cold  sweat 
seemed  to  deluge  his  frame  ;  for  the  sounds  were  like  the 
knell  of  doom  to  him.  With  desperate  energy  he  con- 
tinued his  serpent  march ;  but  it  was  only  to  butt  his 
head  against  the  stones  of  the  drain,  where  its  size  was 
reduced  to  less  than  half  its  proportions  near  the  cellar. 

His  farther  advance  was  hopelessly  checked  ;  and  there 
was  nothing  more  to  be  done  but  to  wait  patiently  the 
result  of  the  exciting  event.  He  was  satisfied  that  his 
feet  were  not  within  eight  or  ten  feet  of  the  cellar ;  for, 
being  a  progressive  young  man,  he  had  entered  the  hole 
head  first.  It  was  possible,  but  not  probable,  that  he 
might  escape  detection,  even  if  the  opening  was  exam- 
ined ;  and,  with  what  self-possession  he  could  muster  for 
the  occasion,  he  lay,  like  the  slimy  worms  beneath  him, 
till  ruin  or  safety  should  come. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         207 

"I  reckon  he  isn't  clown  here,"  said  the  sergeant,  after 
the  party  had  examined  the  cellar,  and  even  pulled  over 
some  of  the  boxes  and  barrels. 

''God  bless  you  for  a  stupid  fellow  as  you  are  ! " 
thouglit  Soraers  ;  for  he  was  prudent  enough  not  audibly 
to  invoke  benedictions,  even  upon  the  head  of  his 
enemies  :  but  the  words  of  the  sergeant  atfordcd  him  a 
degree  of  relief,  which  no  one,  who  has  not  burrowed 
in  a  drain  in  the  rebel  country,  can  understand  or  appre- 
ciate. 

"  I  reckon  there's  a  place  down  in  that  corner  that's 
big  enough  to  hold  a  man  ;  for  my  son  Tom's  been  in 
there,"  added  the  farmer. 

These  words  gave  Somers  another  cold  sweat ;  and 
perhaps  he  thought  it  was  a  mistake  that  he  had  not  put 
a  bullet  through  the  patriarch's  head  when  he  had  been 
tempted  to  do  so  in  the  room  above.  He  was  a  double 
traitor ;  but  I  think  the  conscience  of  our  hero  was 
more*at  rest  as  it  Avas  than  it  would  have  been  if  he 
had  shot  down  an  unarmed  man,  even  to  save  himself 
from  prospective  capture. 

**•  Where  is  the  place  ?  "  demanded  the  sergeant. 

'"  In  yonder,  under  them  barrels  and  boxes.  Jest 
fetch  the  trumpery  out,  and  you'll  see  the  hole,"  replied 
Rigney. 

Somers  heard  the  rumble  of  the  barrels,  as  they  were 
rolled  out  of  the  way,  with  very  much  the  same  feelings 


298  TUB    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    0/7, 

that  a  conscious  man  in  a  trance  would  listen  to  the 
rumbling  of  the  wheels  of  the  hearse  which  was  bear- 
ing him  to  the  church-yard,  only  that  he  was  to  come 
forth  from  a  hopeless  grave  to  the  more  gloomy  light  of 
a  rebel  dungeon. 

*'  I  can't  see  any  thing  in  that  hole,"  said  the  sergeant. 
"  No  man  could  get  into  such  a  place  as  that." 

''Blessed  are  your  eyes;  for  they  see  not!"  thought 
Somers.  '•  May  your  blindness  be  equal  to  that  of  the 
scribes  and  Pharisees  !  " 

"  But  my  son  Tom  has  been  in  there.  I  reckon  a 
Yankee  could  crawl  inter  as  small  a  hole  as  any- 
body." 

The  sergeant  thought  this  was  funny  ;  and  he  honored 
the  remark  with  a  hearty  laugh,  in  which  Somers  was 
disposed  to  join,  though  he  regretted  for  the  first  time  in 
his  life  that  he  was  unable  to  "  crawl  out  at  the  little 
end  of  the  horn."  He  was  encouraged  by  the  scepticism 
of  the  soldier,  and  was  satisfied,  that,  if  he  attempted  to 
demonstrate  the  proposition  experimentally,  he  would  be 
fully  convinced  of  its  difficulty,  if  not  of  its  impossi- 
bility. 

''  Go  and  bring  another  lamp  and  a  pole,"  said  the 
sergeant. 

One  of  the  party  w^ent  up  the  stairs,  and  Somers  gave 
himself  up  for  lost.  The  extra  lamp  w^ould  certainly  ex- 
pose him,  to  say  nothing  of  the  pole  ;  and  it  seemed  to  be 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         299 

folly  to  remain  there,  aud  be  punched  with  a  stick,  like  a 
woodchuck  in  his  hole.  Besides,  there  is  something  in 
tumbling  down  gi'acefully,  when  one  must  inevitably 
tumble  ;  and  he  was  disposed  to  surrender  gracefully,  as 
the  coon  did  when  he  learned  that  Colonel  Crockett  was 
about  to  fire  aud  bring  him  down.  There  was  no  hope  ; 
and  it  is  bad  generalship,  as  well  as  inhuman  and  use- 
less, to  fight  a  battle  which  is  lost  before  the  first  shot  is 
fired. 

TVe  have  before  intimated  that  Captain  Somers,  be- 
sides being  a  brave  and  enterprising  young  man,  Avas  a 
philosopher.  He  had  that  happy  self-possession  which 
enables  one  to  bear  the  ills  of  life,  as  well  as  the  cour- 
age and  address  to  triumph  over  them.  He  had  done 
every  thing  which  ingenuity,  skill,  and  impudence  could 
accomplish  to  save  himself  from  the  hands  of  the  rebel 
soldiers  ;  from  a  rebel  prison,  if  not  from  a  rebel  halter. 
He  had  failed  ;  and,  though  it  gave  him  a  bitter  pang  to 
yield  his  last  hope,  he  believed  that  nothing  better  could 
be  done  than  to  surrender  w^ith  good  grace. 

"How  are  you,  sergeant?"  shouted  he,  when  he  had 
fully  resolved  upon  his  next  step. 

"  Hallo  !  "  replied  the  sergeant,  laughing  heartily  at 
the  hail  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth.  "  How  are  you, 
Yank?" 

"  In  a  tight  place,  sergeant ;  and  I've  concluded  to  back 
out,"  replied  Somers. 


300  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  Good  !  That's  what  all  the  Yankees  will  have  to  do 
before  they  grow  much  older.     Back  out,  Yank  !  " 

Somers  commenced  the  operation,  which  was  an  ex- 
ceedingly unpleasant  necessity  to  a  person  of  his  pro- 
gressive temperament.  It  was  a  slow  manoeuvre  ;  but 
the  sergeant  waited  patiently  till  it  was  accomplished, 
by  which  time  the  extra  lamp  and  the  pole  had  reported 
for  duty. 

"  How  are  you,  Yank?"  said  the  sergeant,  laughing 
immoderately  at  the  misfortune  of  his  victim. 

"  That's  the  smallest  hole  I  ever  attempted  to  crawl 
through,"  replied  Somers,  puffing  and  blowing  from  the 
violence  of  his  exertions  in  releasing  himself  from  his 
narrow  prison-house. 

"How  came  you  in  such  a  place?"  asked  the  sergeant 
as  they  walked  up  the  stairs. 

"  Well,  my  friend,  the  farmer  here  suggested  the 
idea  to  me.  He  said  his  son  had  crawled  in  there  a 
great  many  times." 

"  I  ?  "  exclaimed  Rigney.  "  I  never  said  a  word  about 
the  dican." 

"  You  must  be  looked  after,"  added  the  sergeant,  with 
a  menacing  look  at  the  discomfited  farmer.  "  You  have 
concealed  a  deserter  in  your  house  for  weeks  ;  and  now 
we  find  that  you  hide  Yankees  too." 

"  I  didn't  hide  him  !  "  protested  Rigney. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         301 

'•  Ditlu't  you  agree  to  keep  me  here  till  night?  "  asked 
Somers,  who  despised  him  beyond  expression. 

"  If  I  did,  it  was  only  to  have  the  soldiers  ketch  yer." 
The  sergeant  declared  that  Rigney  was  a  traitor,  and 
that  he  must  go  along  with  him :  but  Somers,  with  more 
magnanimity  than  many  men  would  have  exercised  to- 
wards such  a  faithless  wretch,  told  the  whole  story  ex- 
actly as  it  was,  thus  relieving  him  of  a  portion  of  his 
infidelity  to  the  Southern  Confederacy  ;  and  the  sergeant 
was  graciously  pleased  to  let  him  remain  at  home,  while 
his  victim  was  marched  oiF  to  the  rebel  camp. 


302  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OH, 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


A    NIGHT    IN    PETERSBURG. 


i^^^HE  sergeant  Avho  hud  captured  our  hero  seemed 
1  i  I  to  be  a  very  clever  fellow,  aud  appreciated  the 
vli/  sterling  merits  of  liis  captive.  While  he  was 
rigidly  devoted  to  the  discharge  of  his  duty, 
he  treated  his  prisoner  with  all  the  consideration  which 
one  human  being  has  the  right  to  expect  of  another,  what- 
ever the  circumstances  under  which  they  meet. 

Somers  was  disgusted  with  the  result  of  the  adventure, 
even  while  he  had  no  reason  to  blame  himself  for  any 
want  of  care  or  skill  in  conducting  his  affairs  under  the 
trying  circumstances.  He  was  only  a  few  hours  behind 
his  late  companion,  Captain  de  Banyan  ;  whom  he  had 
now  a  reasonable  expectation  of  meeting  again  before 
the  close  of  the  day. 

If  Somers  was  disgusted  with  the  issue  of  the  ad- 
venture, he  did  not  yet  despair  of  effecting  his  escape. 
This  was  all  he  had  to  live  for  at  present  ;  and  he  was 
determined  isot  to  lose  sight  of  this  great  object  of  exist- 
ence.    Libby  Prison  was  a  flom-ishiug  institution,  even 


THE   ADVENTUIiES    OF   AX  ARMY'   OFFICER.         303 

at  tlie  time  of  -wliich  wo  write  ;  and  he  was  tletcnniiicd 
not  to  be  sent  there,  if  human  energy  and  perseverance 
could  save  him  from  such  a  fate.  It  was  easier  to  avoid 
such  a  trap  than  it  would  be  to  get  out  of  it  after  he  had 
fallen  into  it.  As  he  walked  along  Avith  the  talkative 
sergeant,  lie  kept  his  eyes  open,  ready  to  avail  himself  of 
any  opportunity  which  might  afford  him  a  reasonable 
prospect  of  shaking  off  his  disagreeable  companion. 

His  captor  asked  him  a  great  many  questions  in  re- 
gard to  himself,  and  to  the  Ai-my  of  the  Potomac  on 
the  other  side  of  the  river,  which  Somers  answered  with 
skill  and  discretion  ;  though  we  suppose  that  even  a  rigid 
moralist  would  have  excused  some  slight  variations  from 
the  strict  letter  of  the  truth  wliich  crept  into  his  replies. 
Ke  was  an  officer  in  the  Yankee  army  ;  but  he  dared  not 
acknowledge  his  rank,  lest  he  should  be  accused  of  being 
a  spy.  If  he  was  a  captain,  he  ought  to  have  worn  the 
uniform  of  his  rank  in  order  to  have  it  reco^^nized.  As 
he  was  a  private,  his  chance  of  spending  the  summer  on 
Belle  Island  w^as  better  than  that  for  Libby.  But,  as 
Somers  was  fully  resolved  not  to  go  to  Richmond  in  ad- 
vance of  the  noble  army  whose  fortunes  and  misfortunes 
he  had  shared,  he  did  not  deem  it  necessary  to  consider 
•what  quarters  he  should  occupy. 

The  sergeant  was  a  faithful  soldier.  Somers  found  no 
opportunity  to  slip  away  from  liis  guard  on  tlie  way  to 
the  camp.     He  was  duly  delivered  to  the  officer  of  the 


304  THE    YOUNG    LIEU  TEX  AST:    OH, 

(lay,  aud  his  intimacy  ^vitll  his  good-natured  captor 
Avas  at  an  end.  The  ofhcer  y\\\o  was  responsible  for 
him  made  some  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  prisoner, 
and  Ifearned  that  he  had  escaped  from  the  troopers  in 
the  morning.  When  he  understood  the  case,  as  it  was 
only  eight  miles  to  the  railroad  station,  where  the  other 
prisoner  was  probably  waidng  a  conveyance  in  the  camp, 
he  decided  to  send  Somers  forward  at  once,  fearful  that 
he  migliL  again  take  leave  of  his  captors.  From  what 
lie  had  heard  from  Captain  Osboru  and  the  cavalry 
soldiers  in  charge  of  him,  he  concluded  that  the  young 
man  was  a  person  of  more  consequence  than  he  appeared 
to  be,  —  that  he  was  either  high  in  rank,  or  guilty  of 
enormous  military  misdemeanors. 

A  two-horse  wagon  used  for  general  business  about 
the  camp  was  brought  up,  and  Somers  was  sent  forward 
in  charge  of  two  soldiers,  who  were  specially  ordered  to 
shoot  him  if  he  attempted  to  escape  ;  w^liich  they  would 
probably  have  done  of  their  own  free  will  and  accord, 
Avithout  any  orders.  The  captive  looked  in  vain  for  an 
opportunity  to  elude  the  vigilance  of  the  guard :  they 
hardly  took  their  eyes  off  him  during  the  ride.  Possibly 
they  thought  the  young  fellow  was  President  Lincoln  in 
disguise,  and  that  the  salvation  of  the  Southern  Con- 
federacy depended  upon  his  safe  delivery  into  the  hands 
of  the  provost-marshal  at  Richmond. 

The  roads  were  very  muddy  from  the  recent  rains, 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.         305 

and  it  required  two  hours  to  accomplish  the  distance  to 
the  raih-oad  station.  On  their  arrival,  Somcrs  was 
handed  over  to  another  officer  in  charge  of  the  camp 
at  the  station.  Captain  de  Banyan  had  already  been 
sent  forward  to  Petersburg,  and  another  train  would 
not  depart  till  evening.  Somers  was  carefully  guarded 
during  the  remainder  of  the  day,  and  an  attempt  to  get 
away  would  have  been  equivalent  to  committing  suicide. 
At  dark  he  was  put  into  a  baggage-car,  witli  tAvo  soldiers 
to  guard  him  ;  and  in  a  short  time  reached  the  city 
of  Petersburg.  With  several  other  unfortunate  Union 
soldiers,  he  was  placed  in  a  small  room  in  tlie  station- 
house,  to  remain  until  a  train  should  start  for  Richmond. 
Of  course,  they  were  carefully  guarded ;  and  Somers 
began  to  fear  that  he  should,  after  all,  be  compelled  to 
visit  the  rebel  capital  without  the  army. 

The  room  w^as  on  the  second  floor,  with  two  windows 
opening  into  the  street ;  but  the  prisoners  were  charged, 
on  penalty  of  being  shot,  not  to  look  out  at  them.  There 
was  not  the  ghost  of  a  chance  to  operate  under  such 
unfavorable  circumstances ;  and  Somers  gave  up  all 
thoughts  of  doing  any  thing  that  night.  Stretching 
himself  on  the  floor,  he  tried  to  sleep ;  but  his  spirit 
was  too  great  to  permit  him  calmly  to  view  the  pros- 
pect of  a  rebel  prison.  As  he'  lay  on  the  floor,  he 
ransacked  his  brain  for  some  expedient  which  would 
save  him  from  the  horrors  of  Libby  or  Belle  Island. 

20 


806  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

The  best  scheme  that  suggested  itself  was  to  leap 
from  the  cars  ou  the  "vvay  to  Eichmond.  It  involved 
the  liability  to  a  broken  neck  or  a  broken  limb  ;  but 
he  determined  to  watch  for  an  opportunity  to  execute 
this  reckless  purpose.  His  companions  in  bondage  were 
worn  out  with  long  marches,  and  all  of  them  slept  on 
the  floor  around  him  in  a  few  moments  after  they 
entered  the  room.  They  had  asked  him  some  ques- 
tions ;  but  he  kept  his  own  counsel,  and  endeavored  to 
cheer  their  desponding  spirits  with  the  hope  of  being 
soon  exchanged. 

At  last  Somers  w^ent  to  sleep  himself,  after  he  had 
heard  a  church  clock  in  the  city  strike  eleven.  He  had 
slept  none  on  the  preceding  night,  and  his  slumbers  were 
as  sound  as  if  he  had  been  in  his  attic-chamber  in  the 
cottage  at  Pinchbrook.  Even  the  opening  of  the  door, 
and  the  entrance  of  three  men  with  a  lantern,  did  not 
disturb  him.  One  of  the  party  was  an  officer.  He 
wore  a  military  cloak  over  the  gray  uniform  of  the 
Confederate  army. 

"'Which  is  the  man?"  demanded  he  in  sharp  tones 
of  the  two  soldiers  who  accompanied  him. 

"  I  don't  know  Avhich  he  is  now,"  replied  the  corporal 
of  the  guard.     "  What's  his  name?" 

"  Tom  Leathers,"  answered  the  officer. 

The  corporal  then  passed  round  among  the  sleeping 
prisoners,  and   roughly  kicked  those  who  were  asleep, 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         307 

including  Somers,  avIio  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  was 
rather  disposed  to  make  a  "row"  on  account  of  this 
rude  treatment,  before  he  remembered  where  he  was. 

"  Now  they  are  all  awake,"  said  the  corporal  when 
he  had  been  the  rounds.  *'  Is  there  any  such  man  as 
Tom  Leathers  here  ?  " 

"  Tom  Leathers,"  repeated  the  officer  in  a  loud  tone. 

No  one  answered  to  the  name  ;  but,  in  a  moment, 
Somers  happened  to  think  that  this  was  the  appella- 
tive which  he  had  assumed  when  he  was  a  pilot  down 
on  tlie  creek  by  the  James  River.  He  was  evidently  the 
per.sou  intended  ;  but  he  was  in  doubt  whether  to  answer 
the  summons.  The  antecedents  of  the  young  pilot  of  the 
James  were  not  such  as  to  entitle  him  to  much  consider- 
ation at  the  hands  of  the  rebels  ;  and  he  was  disposed  to 
deny  his  identity.  While  he  was  debating  the  question 
in  his  own  mind,  the  corporal  repeated  the  name. 

"  There's  no  such  man  here,"  he  added,  turning  to  the 
officer. 

"  He  must  be  here.     He  came  up  in  the  night  train." 

"  He  don't  answer  to  his  name." 

"  Hold  your  lantern,  and  let  me  look  these  prisoners 
in  the  face." 

The  corporal  passed  from  one  to  another  of  the  cap- 
tives till  he  came  to  Somers  ;  thrusting  the  lantern  into 
the  face  of  each,  so  that  the  officer  could  scan  his 
features. 


308  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"What's  your  name?"  he  asked,  as  the  corporal 
placed  the  lantern  before  Somers. 

Not  having  made  up  his  mind  as  to  the  effect  of 
acknowledging  his  identity  with  the  pilot,  he  made  no 
reply. 

"  That's  the  man,"  said  the  officer  decidedly. 

"  Is  your  name  Tom  Leathers?"  added  the  corporal, 
as  he  made  a  demonstration  with  his  bayonet  at  the 
prisoner. 

/'  Put  down  your  musket,  corporal:  you  needn't  be  a 
brute  to  your  prisoners." 

"  I  only  wanted  to  make  him  answer  the  question. 
If  you  give  me  leave,  I'll  find  a  tongue  for  him." 

"  He  is  the  man  I  want :  bring  him  out,"  replied  the 
officer. 

"  Bring  him  out?  I  beg  your  pardon,  sir  ;  but  I  don't 
know  who  you  are.  I  can't  give  up  a  prisoner  without 
orders." 

The  officer,  who  seemed  to  be  suffering  with  a  bad 
cold,  and  w^ore  the  collar  of  his  cloak  turned  up  so  as  to 
conceal  the  greater  part  of  his  face,  opened  the  lower 
part  of  his  garment,  so  that  the  corporal  could  see  his 
uniform.  At  the  same  time  he  took  from  his  pocket  a 
paper,  which  he  opened,  and  handed  to  the  guard. 

"  That's  all  right,"  said  the  latter,  when  he  had  read 
the  document.  "  Of  com'se,  you  will  leave  this  with 
me?" 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF   AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         309 

"  Certainly.  Now  bring  out  the  man  ;  and  lose  no 
time,  for  I  am  in  a  hurry." 

Somers  was  conducted  from  the  room  to  the  car-house 
below,  where  the  officer  asked  for  a  soldier  to  guard 
tlie  prisoner  to  the  ofifice  of  the  provo.st-marshal,  who 
was  waiting  for  him.  The  corporal  furnished  the  man  ; 
and  the  captive  walked  off  between  his  two  companions, 
bewildered  by  the  sudden  change  which  had  taken  place 
in  the  cooi'sc  of  events.  He  could  not  imagine  wliy  he 
Lad  been  singled  out  from  the  rest  of  the  prisoners  in 
the  station-house,  unless  some  specific  and  more  definite 
charge  than  being  in  arms  against  the  great  Southern 
Confederacy  had  been  laid  at  his  door.  The  most  un- 
pleasant thought  that  came  to  his  mind  was  that  Captain 
de  Banyan  had  betrayed  the  object  of  his  mission  to  the 
south  side  of  the  river.  There  was  good  evidence  that  his 
fellow-officer  had  come  over  as  a  spy ;  and  the  hope  of 
saving  his  own  life  might  have  induced  him  to  sacrifice 
even  one  who  had  been  his  best  friend. 

It  was  not  pleasant  to  think  of  Captain  de  Banyan  as 
capable  of  doing  so  mean  an  act ;  for  he  had  been  regarded 
in  the  regiment  as  the  soul  of  honor,  —  of  worldly  honor, 
which  scorns  to  do  a  vile  thing  if  public  opinion  has 
condemned  it.  But  the  astounding  information  which 
he  had  obtained  among  the  rebels  concerning  his  friend's 
antecedents  had  destroyed  his  confidence  in  him,  and  he 
was  prepared  for  any  thing  from  him.     In  this  light,  liis 


310  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

situation  was  almost  hopeless  ;  for  the  evidence  would 
certainly  condemn  him  before  any  court-martial  in  the 
Confederacy,  and  the  chances  of  escape  were  lessened  by 
his  separation  from  his  unfortunate  companions  in  arms. 
He  had  probably  been  taken  away  from  them  to  prevent 
even  the  possibility  of  exercising  his  talent  in  gettiag 
away,  as  he  had  done  after  his  capture. 

They  walked  in  silence  along  the  gloomy  and  deserted 
streets  ;  and  Somers  felt  just  as  if  he  were  marching 
to  his  execution.  He  knew  that  the  rebel  officers  had  a 
summary  way  of  dealing  with  cases  like  his  o^vn  ;  and 
he  was  prepared  to  be  condemned,  even  before  another 
sun  rose  to  gladden  him  with  his  cheerful  light.  He 
thought  of  his  mother,  of  his  father,  of  the  -other  mem- 
bers of  the  family,  and  of  the  blow  it  would  be  to  them 
to  learn  that  he  had  been  hanged  as  a  spy.  He  thought 
of  Pinchbrook,  of  the  happy  days  he  had  spent  there, 
and  of  those  who  had  been  his  true  friends.  He  thought 
of  Lilian  Ashford,  the  beautiful  one,  in  the  remem- 
brance of  whose  sweet  smile  he  had  revelled  every 
day  since  they  parted,  and  which  he  had  hoped  to  enjoy 
again  when  war  should  no  more  desolate  the  land,  and 
he  should  be  proudly  enrolled  with  the  heroes  who  had 
saved  the  nation  from  ruin. 

All  these  pleasant  memories,  all  these  bright  hopes, 
all  these  loving  forms,  though  present  in  his  heart,  seemed 
dim   and  distant  to  him.     He  had  nothing  to  hope  for 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY    OFFICER.        311 

in  the  future  on  this  side  of  the  grave,  nothing  in  the 
present  but  an  ignominious  death  on  the  scaffold.  Yet  it 
was  sweet  to  die  for  one's  country  ;  and,  disgraceful  as  his 
end  might  be  in  its  form,  it  was  still  in  the  service  of  the 
nation.  He  felt  happy  in  the  thought ;  and,  if  there  was 
nothing  more  on  earth  to  hope  for,  there  was  stiU  a 
bright  heaven  beyond  the  deepest  and  darkest  grave  into 
which  the  hate  of  traitors  could  plunge  him,  where  the 
ruptured  ties  of  this  life  are  again  restored,  never  again 
to  be  subject  to  change  and  decay. 

There  was  a  tear  in  his  eye  as  he  thought  of  his  fond 
mother ;  and  he  wept  for  her  when  he  could  not  weep 
for  himself.  Xo  one  saw  that  tear,  and  the  officer  per- 
mitted him  to  indulge  his  sad  revery  in  silence.  But, 
after  they  had  walked  two  or  three  squares,  his  compan- 
ion in  authority  suddenly  stopped. 

''  I  have  left  a  book,  which  I  carried  in  my  hand,  at 
the  depot,"  said  he,  in  tones  full  of  chagrin  at  his  care- 
lessness. "  I  must  have  it ;  for  I  can  do  nothing  with- 
out it." 

"  Where  did  you  leave  it?"  asked  the  soldier. 

"  In  the  guard-room.  You  may  go  back,  and  bring  it 
to  me.     Give  me  your  gun  :  you  needn't  carry  that." 

"Where  shall  I  find  you?" 

"  Here,  where  you  leave  me.     Go  quick,  my  man." 

"  I  won't  be  gone  ten  minutes,"  replied  the  soldier,  as 
he  started  off  at  a  run  for  the  missing  volume. 


312  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

The  officer  took  the  gun,  and  stood  by  the  side  of  his 
prisoner,  at  the  corner  of  the  street,  till  the  soldier  dis- 
appeared in  the  darkness.  Somers,  still  thinking  of  the 
sad  fate  which  he  was  confident  v/as  in  store  for  him, 
wished  to  confirm  his  impressions  in  regard  to  his  des- 
tiny. His  companion  seemed  to  be  a  gentleman  of  a 
kindly  nature,  though  stern  in  the  discharge  of  his  duty. 
It  was  possible  that  he  would  give  him  some  information 
in  regard  to  the  probable  disposal  of  him. 

"  Will  you  tell  me,  sir,  why  I  am  separated  from  the 
rest  of  the  prisoners  ?  "  said  he,  as  soon  as  the  sentinel 
had  departed  upon  his  errand. 

"  Because  you  are  an  officer." 

"  How  do  you  know  I  am  ? "  asked  Somers,  very 
desirous  of  ascertaining  how  much  Captain  de  Banyan 
had  told  in  regard  to  him. 

"  We  know  all  about  you,"  answered  the  officer, 
muffling  his  cloak  more  closely  around  his  face,  as  if 
afraid  the  night-air  might  injure  his  lungs  as  he  opened 
his  mouth. 

"  What  do  you  know  about  me?  " 

"  All  about  you." 

"  That  isn't  very  definite." 

"  In  a  word,  you  are  Captain  Thomas  Somers,  of  the 
—  th  regiment." 

''Who  told  you  that?" 

'*  That's  of  no  consequence." 


TUE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.        313 

"  "Wliat  is  to  be  done  with  me  ?  " 

"  I  don't  koow." 

*'  I  suppose  I  am  only  a  prisoner  of  war  ?  " 

"  You  crossed  the  James  River  in  disguise,  and  went 
into  our  lines  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  information. 
I  suppose  you  can  put  those  two  things  together." 

Somers's  worst  fears  were  confirmed.  He  was  to  be 
tried  as  a  spy,  and  De  Banyan  had  told  all  he  knew 
about  him.  Before  he  had  time  to  dwell  on  the  dark 
prospect  any  longer,  the  officer  said  he  was  cold,  and 
could  not  stand  there  any  longer.  Taking  his  prisoner 
by  the  arm,  he  led  him  down  the  cross-street.  Somers 
was  just  thinking  of  an  attempt  to  bid  his  companion 
good-night,  when  the  latter  spoke  again :  — 

"  I  shall  catch  my  death  from  this  night-air,"  said  he. 
"Just  before  the  battle  of  Magenta"  — 

"  Captain  de  Banyan  !  "  exclaimed  Somers. 


314  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 


CHAPTER    XXVn. 


A  FRIEND   INDEED. 


PUSH,  my  dear  boy  !  not  a  word  ! "  said  Captain 
de  Banyan  in  an  impressive  whisper,  as  he  led 
the  way  along  the  street. 
Somers  made  no  reply ;  for  he  readily  per- 
ceived that  the  utmost  caution  was  necessary,  though 
he  did  not  understand  the  position  of  his  friend,  or  what 
complications  there  were  in  the  situation.  He  was  filled 
with  rejoicing  at  finding  himself  again  in  the  way  of 
getting  back  to  the  Union  army.  Of  course,  his  feelings 
towards  Captain  de  Banyan,  in  spite  of  his  antecedents 
in  the  Third  Tennessee,  underwent  a  sudden  and  agree- 
able change  ;  and  in  the  joy  of  his  heart  he  was  disposed 
to  embrace  his  friend,  and  beg  forgiveness  for  the  sus- 
picions he  had  entertained  of  him. 

They  had  advanced  but  a  short  distance  from  the  main 
street,  when  they  heard  the  clatter  of  horses'  hoofs. 

"That's  bad,"  said  Captain  de  Banyan,  as  he  stopped 
to  ascertain  in  what  direction  the  horsemen  were  going. 
"What's  bad?"  demanded  Somers. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         315 

"  My  absence  has  been  discovered,  I  am  afraid.  The 
provost-marshal  has  a  section  of  cavalry  to  run  down 
Union  prisoners  who  may  escape.  I  think  they  are 
after  me  :  at  any  rate,  we  must  be  very  careful  where 
we  go." 

A  few  moments  later,  a  small  party  of  horsemen 
dashed  down  the  street  by  which  the  captain  was  con- 
ducting his  retreat.  It  would  prove  fatal  to  their  hopes, 
if  they  were  seen  ;  and  Captain  de  Banyan  entered  the 
yard  of  a  house,  followed  by  his  companion.  There  was 
a  stable  on  the  premises  ;  and,  without  a  special  invitation 
from  the  owner,  they  entered,  making  their  way  to  the 
hay-loft,  which  seemed  to  be  the  most  promising  place 
of  concealment.  A  horse  in  the  stall  below  whinnied 
when  they  reached  the  second  floor,  expecting,  no  doubt, 
his  morning  rations  of  hay. 

Unfortunately  for  the  fugitives,  still  more  unfortu- 
nately perhaps  for  the  horse,  there  Avas  very  little  hay  in 
the  loft ;  so  that  a  secure  hiding-place  was  not  readily 
found.  But,  as  it  was  no  part  of  the  captain's  intention 
to  remain  long  in  this  loft,  they  seated  themselves  on  a 
grain  chest,  to  wait  till  the  troopers  should  pass  the 
house. 

"Wliat  time  is  it,  captain?"  asked  Somers. 

*'  About  four  in  the  morning.  We  are  rather  late.  It 
will  be  daylight  in  about  an  hour." 

"  Where  have  you  been  since  we  parted?" 


316  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

'Since  we  parted,  my  boy?  "We  didn't  part.  You 
did  all  the  parting,  Somers,"  replied  De  Banyan  in  a 
reproacliful  tone. 

"  I  know  I  did  ;  but,  after  what  I  had  heard,  you  need 
scarcely  wonder.  You  acknowledged  that  you  had  been 
a  rebel  officer,  and  a  member  of  the  Third  Tennessee 
regiment." 

"  I  grant  it ;  but  I  thought  enough  else  was  said  to 
enable  you  to  understand  my  position." 

''  "Well,  I  had  some  hopes  that  you  were  all  right ;  but 
I  could  not  banish  my  fears.  How  could  I  know  that 
you  had  not  been  sent  over  on  the  other  side  for  the 
same  pui-pose  that  we  crossed  the  James?" 

"  You  might  have  known  it,  my  dear  fellow.  They 
don't  usually  send  men  over  on  such  business  whose 
loyalty  is  doubtful.  You  heard  the  captain  say  that  I 
had  been  suspected." 

"  I  did ;  but  I  could  not  fully  understand  your  posi- 
tion." 

"And  so  you  gave  me  the  slip?  Well,  Somers,  I 
forgive  you." 

"  I  am  sure,  if  I  had  not  been  in  doubt  in  regard  to 
what  you  were,  I  would  not  have  left  you,  even  if  I  had 
been  certain  of  hanging  with  you." 

"  I  know  you  wouldn't,  my  boy.  I  confess  there  were 
a  great  many  dark  things  against  me  ;  but  I  assure  you 
I  am  a  loyal  and  true  man.     I  have  suffered  more  for 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         317 

the  Union  than  you  have  ;  for  I  was  born  in  the  .sunny 
South,  and  all  my  friends  and  neighbors  went  Avith  the 
rebels.  I  had  no  alternative  but  to  go  into  the  army, 
where  my  experience  in  the  Crimea,  in  Italy,  and  in 
Mexico,  made  me  an  officer.  I  escaped  as  soon  as  I 
could,  and  enrolled  myself  on  the  right  side." 

Somers  grasped  the  hand  of  his  brave  and  devoted  com- 
panion, which  he  pressed  with  a  warmth  that  indicated 
his  feelings  more  eloquently  than  words  could  have  done, 
lie  Avas  entirely  satisfied  with  the  explanation,  because 
it  was  fully  sustained  by  the  conduct  of  the  captain,  and 
by  the  words  of  the  rebel  cavalry  officer  who  had  claimed 
his  acquaintance.  He  was  even  disposed  to  believe  that 
De  Banyan  had  been  a  soldier  in  the  European  wars 
and  in  Mexico  ;  which  was  a  degree  of  credulity  hardly 
*to  be  expected  of  a  sensible  young  man. 

"  You  will  forgive  me  for  my  unjust  suspicions,  cap- 
tain ?  I  assure  you  it  went  against  my  grain  to  believe 
that  you  were  a  rebel." 

"  You  had  good  reason  for  it.  I  was  more  afraid  of 
you,  when  I  confessed  my  sins  to  the  rebel  officer,  than  I 
was  of  him.  We  are  friends  again,  Somers  :  that's  all 
I  want." 

"  You  have  proved  yourself  my  friend  by  this  last  act ; 
and  I  should  have  needed  no  further  explanation  to  con- 
vince me  that  you  were  a  loyal  man." 

"  T  am  all  that,  my  dear  boy." 


318  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT^   OR, 

"  Where  have  you  been  since  I  parted  from  you?" 

"  I  got  up  to  Petersburg  iu  the  afternoon.  I  was  put 
in  that  liole  where  I  found  you  at  first ;  but,  when  the 
provost-marshal  learned  my  story,  he  sent  for  me,  and  I 
■was  conducted  to  his  oliice.  Just  as  I  came  out  of  the 
depot,  you  went  in.  He  wanted  to  question  me,  he  said. 
"Well,  I  happened  to  know  him,  though  he  did  not  know 
me.  I  knew  his  weak  point ;  and,  in  a  word,  I  biun- 
boozled  him.  I  assured  him  I  was  an  officer  iu  the 
Third  Tennessee,  and  that,  on  further  inquiry,  he  would 
find  I  was  all  right ;  that  I  had  rendered  greater  service 
to  my  country  by  going  over  to  the  Yankees  than  I  could 
possibly  have  done  by  remaining  with  my  regiment ; 
which,  you  are  willing  to  believe,  was  strictly  true. 

"  I  asked  the  privilege  of  putting  on  my  uniform 
again,  which  he  granted  ;  and,  with  the  gold  in  my  pocket, 
I  purchased  a  full  fit-out  of  the  quartermaster.  The 
provost-marshal  told  me  that  I  must  report  at  Richmond, 
which  I  promised  to  do  ;  and,  my  dear  boy,  I  hope  I 
shall  be  able  to  do  so  at  no  distant  day,  though  it  doesn't 
look  much  like  it  just  now.  He  gave  me  an  apartment 
next  to  his  ofiice,  for  the  night ;  where,  of  course,  he 
expected  to  find  me  in  the  morning.  In  the  night,  I  got 
up,  and  Avent  into  his  office  to  transact  a  little  business 
on  my  own  account. 

"  After  I  saw  you  at  the  depot,  my  dear  fellow,  I 
couldn't  forget  your  sad  look.     You  seemed  to  be  as 


THE  ADVBNTUliES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         319 

hopeless  as  a  stray  chicken  in  the  wet  grass,  and  I  was 
trying  to  think  what  I  could  do  for  you.  I  couldn't  have 
gone  back  to  Harrison's  Landing  without  you :  it  would 
have  broken  my  heart.  And  wliat  could  I  have  said  to 
the  general,  when  he  asked  for  you?  How  could  I  have 
made  my  peace  with  the  officers  of  the  regiment,  if  I 
had  gone  back  without  you  ?  " 

*'  It  was  very  kind  of  you,  after  the  shabby  manner  in 
which  I  had  treated  you,"  added  Somers 

"  That  was  the  very  reason  why  I  was  bound  to  help 
you  out  of  the  scrape,  if  I  could.  I  wanted  to  set  myself 
right  with  you.  I  wanted  to  convince  you  I  wasn't  the 
man  you  took  me  to  be." 

"  You  have  convinced  me  in  the  fullest  manner  ;  and 
I  owe  you  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  I  shall  never  be 
able  to  pay." 

"  Steady,  my  boy :  we  are  not  out  of  the  scrape." 

*'  No  matter  whether  we  get  out  of  the  scrape  or  not, 
my  feelings  towards  you  will  be  just  the  same." 

"  Thank  you,  Somers  :  I  am  satisfied." 

"  But  where  did  you  get  the  pass  you  gave  the  cor- 
poral of  the  guard  at  the  depot?"  asked  Somers. 

"I  found  the  provost-marshal's  signature  on  certain 
papers,  one  of  which  I  filled  out  to  suit  myself.  But 
there  was  a  sentinel  at  the  door  of  the  office,  put  there, 
I  suppose,  for  my  benefit ;  though  I  was  sorry  to  trouble 
the  poor  fellow  to  stand  there  on  my  account.    My  friend, 


320  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

the  provost,  had  done  this  little  act  in  the  most  delicate 
way  in  the  world.  He  did  not  tell  me  that  I  was  nnder 
gnard  ;  but  I  happened  to  find  it  out  before  I  put  ray  foot 
in  the  trap. 

"In  a  Avord,  not  wishing  to  disturb  the  sentinel,  I  took 
the  liberty  of  leaving  by  the  way  of  the  window  of  my 
chamber,  instead  of  the  door.  Luckily  there  was  a  one- 
story  shop  next  to  the  office ;  and,  with  the  aid  of  a 
blanket  from  my  bed,  I  dropped  down  upon  it,  without 
disturbing  the  meditations  of  the  sentinel  or  the  slum- 
bers of  the  provost.  I  got  into  the  street,  and  went  to 
the  depot.  There  I  told  the  corporal  of  tlie  guard  a 
very  interesting  story  about  the  prisoner  who  had  been 
brought  up  in  the  afternoon,  meaning  myself;  and  that 
the  man  I  wanted  was  needed  immediately  as  a  witness. 
You  know  the  rest,  my  dear  fellow ;  and  here  we  are." 

"And  here  we  are  likely  to  remain,  I'm  afraid,"  added 
Somers. 

"  Xot  a  bit  of  it.  I  haven't  exhausted  half  my  expe- 
dients yet.  On  the  night  before  the  attack  on  the  Redan, 
at  Sebastopol,  I  went  all  over  that  city,  and  spent  the 
evening  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
citizens,  —  a  gentleman  who  had  a  government  contract 
for  rations.     Of  course,  he  didn't  know  me." 

"  Hush !  There  is  some  one  coming  into  the  stable 
below,"  said  Somers,  as  he  heard  a  door  opened  on  the 
floor  below. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         321 

It  was  impossible  to  move  then  without  making  noise 
enough  to  excite  the  attention  of  the  person  who  had  en- 
tered ;  for  the  stable  was  old  and  rickety,  and  the  boards 
creaked  at  every  step  they  took.  The  fugitives  listened 
with  breathless  interest  to  the  movements  of  the  unwel- 
come visitor.  The  horse  whinnied  again  ;  and  the  person 
entered  the  stall,  and  spoke  to  him.  The  sound  of  his 
voice  filled  the  occupants  of  the  loft  Avith  consternation  ; 
for  evidently  the  speaker  was  not  a  negro  servant,  as 
they  had  hoped  and  expected  to  find  him,  but  a  white 
man,  and  one  who  used  the  English  language  well. 

"  Come,  Jenny,  there  is  a  job  on  hand  for  us  ;  and  you 
must  postpone  your  breakfast  till  we  catch  the  Yankee 
prisoners,"  said  the  person,  who,  the  fugitives  were  now 
satisfied,  AA'-as  an  oflEicer  of  the  cavalry  service. 

While  De  Banyan  was  telling  his  story,  they  had  heard 
some  noise  at  the  house  ;  and  they  now  concluded  that 
the  party  which  had  ridden  up  the  street  had  come  to 
call  this  officer  for  duty.  They  hoped  that  nothing 
would  require  him  to  pay  a  visit  to  the  loft,  and  that, 
like  a  good  officer,  he  would  be  as  expeditious  as  possi- 
ble in  his  preparations. 

"  You  are  my  prisoner,  if  he  comes  up  stairs,"  whis- 
pered De  Banyan. 

Somers  pressed  the  hand  of  his  companion  to  assure 
him  that  he  understood  his  plan  ;  and  they  held  their 
breath,  in  the  intense  anxiety  of  the  moment,  for  further 
21 


322  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

developments.  The  present  seemed  to  be  the  turning- 
point  in  the  career  of  the  adventurers  ;  and,  if  they  could 
once  escape  from  the  horns  of  this  dilemma,  skill  and 
prudence  Avould  conduct  them  in  safety  to  the  Union 
lines. 

The  officer  below,  after  he  had  politely  informed 
"Jenny"  of  the  early  movement,  seemed  to  be  in  no 
hurry  to  get  into  the  saddle.  He  went  out  at  the  door  of 
the  stable,  and  all  was  silence  again,  except  the  voice  of 
Jenny,  who  seemed  to  be  protesting  against  any  move- 
ment before  she  had  received  her  customary  feed  of  corn. 

"  Peters  !  "  shouted  the  officer  from  the  door,  "  hurry 
up  !  The  Yankees  will  get  to  the  James  River  before  you 
get  the  saddle  on  my  horse.     "Where  have  you  been?" 

"  I  was  looking  for  my  boots." 

"  An  orderly  ought  to  wear  his  boots  to  bed  with  him, 
if  he  can't  put  them  where  he  can  find  them,"  replied 
the  officer,  as  the  heavy  step  of  another  man  was  heard 
in  the  stable  below. 

"  What  news  did  you  hear?  "  asked  the  officer,  as  the 
orderly  led  the  horse  from  the  stall. 

"  The  sergeant  said  some  officer  that  had  been  took  as 
a  deserter  done  runned  away,"  replied  Peters,  as  the  fugi- 
tives heard  the  rattle  of  the  saddle-gear. 

"  Hurry  up,  then  !  " 

"  He  done  took  a  Yankee  prisoner  from  the  depot  with 
him,"  added  Peters,  who,  if  he  had  not  been  called  an 
orderly,  the  listeners  would  have  taken  for  a  negro. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFICER.         323 

"  You  may  take  a  peck  of  corn  in  a  bag  for  Jenny, 
Peters.  Wc  may  have  a  long  ride  of  it,"  added  the 
officer,  as  he  left  the  stable. 

A  peck  of  corn  !  De  Banyan  and  Somers  were  sitting 
on  the  grain  chest !  It  was  impossible  to  avoid  dis- 
covery ;  and  De  Banyan  threw  off  his  cloak,  ready  for 
the  emergency. 

"  Somers,  my  boy,  we  must  change  our  tactics. 
They  have  heard  the  whole  story,  and  we  can't  blind 
them.  Wc  must  make  the  best  of  it.  Have  you  a 
pistol  ?  "  whispered  the  captain. 

"  No  :  all  I  had  was  taken  from  me,"  replied  Somers. 

"  I  have  only  one.  Xo  matter  :  it  would  never  do  to 
fire  up  here,"  added  De  Banyan,  as  he  picked  up  a  short 
pitch-fork  which  lay  near  him. 

"  Are  you  going  to  kill  him? "  asked  Somers. 

"  It's  life  or  death  for  you  and  me  !  We  can't  stop 
for  trifles,"  answered  the  captain  in  hurried  tones,  but 
still  iu  a  whisper. 

They  listened  for  a  moment  longer  to  the  quick  move- 
ments of  Peters  in  the  stable  below.  It  was  evident  that 
Jenny  was  duly  caparisoned  for  service  ;  and  then  an- 
other horse  was  led  out,  which  belonged  to  the  orderly. 
He  was  prepared  for  service  in  less  time  than  Jenny  had 
required ;  and,  a  moment  later,  the  step  of  Peters  was 
heard  on  the  stairs.  With  the  bag  in  his  hand,  he  was 
coming  up  for  the  corn,  as  he   had  been  ordered  by  the 


324  TUB    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

officer.  He  did  not  see  the  fugitives  till  he  had  reached 
the  last  step ;  when,  as  he  was  on  the  point  of  opening 
his  mouth  to  speak,  De  Banyan  levelled  a  blow  at  his  head 
with  the  handle  of  the  pitchfork,  which  felled  him  to  the 
floor. 

He  sank  do^vn  upon  the  stairs  stunned  or  dead ;  and 
the  captain,  as  though  he  had  carefully  matured  his  plan 
beforehand,  dragged  the  body  to  one  corner  of  the  loft, 
where  he  covered  it  with  hay. 

"  Not  a  word,  Somers,"  said  he  in  an  excited  whis- 
per, as  he  crouched  down  behind  the  grain  chest. 

"  Are  you  going  to  stay  here?"  demanded  Somers,  as- 
tonished at  this  singular  disposition  of  the  forces. 

"  Hush  !  —  the  officer  is  close  by." 

"With  beating  heart,  Somers  waited  for  the  further 
action  of  his  resolute  companion.  It  was  the  most 
critical  period  of  his  life,  it  seemed  to  him,  especially  as 
he  did  not  fully  comprehend  the  purpose  of  De  Banyan. 
Only  a  moment  elapsed,  but  it  was  long  enough  to  be  a 
week,  before  the  o^^^ler  of  Jenny  returned  to  the  stable. 

"Peters!  what  are  you  about?"  shouted  he  angrily. 
"  I  shall  never  get  off  at  this  rate.     Peters  !  " 

Peters  was  not  in  condition  to  answer  the  summons  at 
that  moment.  Somers  hoped  he  was  not  dead ;  but  he 
might  as  well 'have  been  dead,  so  far  as  speaking  was 
concerned. 

"Peters  !  "  shouted  the  officer  again,  with  a  string  of 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         325 

Southern-confederacy  oaths:  "where  are  you?  what 
are  you  about  ?  " 

Of  course,  the  orderly  could  not  answer ;  and  his  si- 
lence only  added  to  the  rage  of  his  master,  who  con- 
tinued to  swear  in  a  manner  which  must  have  disgusted 
the  gentle  Jenny,  and  the  other  respectable  horse  stand- 
ing on  the  stable-floor. 

The  officer  rushed  out  of  the  stable,  and  the  heaviness 
of  his  step  indicated  the  state  of  his  mind.  He  had 
gone  to  look  for  Peters  :  but,  as  Peters  was  not  outside, 
he  must  be  inside  ;  and  the  officer  entered  again.  He 
now  walked  towards  the  stairs  leading  to  the  loft. 

"  Peters ! "  he  continued  to  roar  as  he  rushed  up  the 
stairs.  "  Peters !  this  is  your  last  da/s  service  with 
me!' 

But  the  poor  orderly  was  unable  to  remove  the  stain 
which  rested  upon  his  fidelity.  He  still  held  his  peace  ; 
still  silently  submitted  to  the  unjust  imputations  on  his 
character.  The  officer  landed  in  the  loft  just  as  Captain 
de  Banyan  rose  to  receive  him. 

"Who  are  you?"  demanded  he,  as  the  stout  form  of 
the  captain  confronted  him. 

"  Your  most  obedient  servant  to  command,"  replied 
De  Banyan. 

"  You  are  a  Confederate  officer  ?  "  • 

"  I  seem  to  be  ;  but  I  am  not.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
your  presence  is  dangerous  to  my  health  and  comfort." 


326  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  I  see :  you  are  the  deserter.'' 

"  I  am  ;  but  the  future  lies  between  you  and  me." 

"Then  we  will  let  the  future  speak  for  itself,"  an- 
swered the  officer,  drawing  a  pistol  from  his  belt. 
"  Surrender,   or  you  are  a  dead  man  ! " 

"  I  must  positively  decline  the  honor,"  replied  De 
Banyan,  as  he  swung  the  pitch-fork  over  his  head,  and  at- 
tempted to  strike  him  down. 

He  failed  ;  and  the  officer  fired,  but  without  effect.  At 
that  moment,  Somers  stepped  forward  with  a  billet  of 
wood  he  found  on  the  floor.  At  the  same  time,  De 
Banyan  raised  the  pistol ;  but  the  rebel  fired  a  second 
time  before  he  could  discharge  it.  Somers  instantly 
dropped  his  stick,  and  his  left  arm  fell  to  his  side : 
the  ball  had  passed  through  it.  Do  Banyan  fired  :  the 
officer  sank  down,  not  killed,  but  badly  wounded. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         327 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


DR.    SCOVILLE  S    PATIENT. 


^^^•HE  ball  from  De  Banyan's  pistol  had  passed 
m^  through  the  right  side  of  the  officer ;  and  he 
\JJy  sank  upon  the  floor,  the  blood  flowing  copiously 
from  the  wound.  These  proceedings  were  so 
irregular,  that  Somers  could  not  reconcile  himself  to 
them.  He  was  wounded  himself;  but,  when  the  officer 
fell,  he  was  full  of  sympathy  for  him.  It  was  evident 
that  the  sufferer  would  bleed  to  death  in  a  short  time, 
if  left  to  himself  without  any  attention  ;  and  Somers 
could  not  endure  the  thought  of  letting  even  an  enemy 
die  iu  this  forsaken  condition. 

"  Come,  my  boy :  we  have  no  time  to  lose.  It's  day- 
light now,  and  we  ought  to  be  five  miles  from  the  city 
before  this  time,"  said  De  Banyan,  as  he  moved  towards 
tlie  stairs.  "  Take  the  man's  pistol  and  ammunition, 
and  come  along  as  fast  as  you  can." 

"Will  you  leave  this  gentleman  in  this  condition?'* 
asked  Somers,  gazing  with  pitying  tenderness  at  the  pale 
face  of  the  fallen  officer. 

"  Leave  him?    Of  course  :  we  can't  take  him  with  us," 


328  THE    YOUNG    LIEUTENANT;    Oli, 

"  But  he  will  bleed  to  death  if  we  leave  him  here." 

"  Let  him  bleed  to  death :  I  cau't  help  that.  Many 
a  better  man  than  he  has  bled  to  death  since  this  war 
began.  Come  along,  Somers !  'S^^lat  is  the  matter 
with  your  arm?"  demanded  he,  when  he  saw  that  it 
hung  useless  at  his  side. 

"  I  was  hit." 

"  Hit !     We  are  lost,  then  !  " 

"  No,  we  are  not  lost,  either.  I  am  not  killed,"  re- 
plied Somers j  whose  arm  was  still  numb  from  the  effect 
of  the  shot. 

"  That's  a  misfortune.  I  am  afraid  it  will  spoil  every 
thing.     Can  you  sit  on  a  horse  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  can.  But  I  can't  bear  to  let  this  man 
die  here  alone.  He  is  a  brave  fellow,  and  deserves  a 
better  fate." 

"  Come  along,  Somers  !  You  are  an  odd  stick,  when 
you  are  wounded,  to  trouble  yourself  about  your  ene- 
mies.    Let  me  see  your  arm." 

The  captain  examined  the  wounded  member,  which 
was  now  bleeding  very  freely.  He^^ied  the  handker- 
chief around  the  arm,  and  did  the  best  which  the  cir- 
cumstances would  admit  for  his  friend.  He  then  led 
the  way  down  stairs,  where  the  horses  were  impatiently 
waiting  for  their  riders.  Jenny  was  a  noble  mare,  and 
the  orderly's  horse  Avas  an  excellent  animal.  De  Banyan, 
knowing  how  much  might  depend  upon  the  endurance  of 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         320 

the  liorses  in  the  flight  before  them,  filled  the  bag  with 
corn  in  the  loft,  after  he  had  helped  Somers  to  mount 
the  horse  of  Peters,  which  appeared  to  be  the  steadier 
beast  of  the  two. 

The  noise  of  the  affray  in  the  loft  had  probably  been 
heard  by  some  of  the  occupants  of  the  house  ;  and,  just  as 
the  fugitives  had  mounted  the  horses,  a  black  woman 
from  the  dwelling  approached  the  stable.  She  gazed 
with  astonishment  and  alarm  at  the  riders,  and  seemed 
to  be  satisfied  that  all  was  not  right. 

"  Your  master  is  up  in  the  loft,"  said  Somers,  as  they 
rode  by  her.     "  He  is  hurt,  and  wants  attention." 

''  Now  whip  up,  Somers.  "\Ye  must  make  quick  time  ; 
for  we  shall  have  the  whole  city  after  us  in  ten  minutes," 
said  De  Banyan,,  as  he  urged  Jenny  to  the  top  of  her 
speed. 

The  spirited  animal  seemed  as  willing  to  exert  herself 
for  the  enemies  as  the  friends  of  the  Southern  Confeder- 
acy ;  thus  proving  that  she  was  a  neutral  horse,  or  cher- 
ished Union  sentiments.  But  the  other  horse  could  not 
keep  pace  with  her,..aiid^De  Banyan  was  compelled  to  re- 
strain her  speed.  The  fugitives  had  scarcely  appeared 
in  the  street  before  a  hue  and  cry  was  raised  ;  for  the 
place  had  been  thoroughly  aroused  by  the  clamor  which 
the  troopers  had  created.  Still,  there  was  nothing  in 
sight  which  promised  to  offer  any  serious  resistance  to 
their  progress. 


330  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;     OR, 

A  few  moments  brought  them  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
town ;  though  in  what  direction,  or  to  what  point,  the 
road  they  had  taken  would  lead  them,  neither  De  Banyan 
nor  Somers  had  the  most  remote  idea.  To  go  in  the 
wrong  direction  was  equivalent  to  plunging  into  certain 
ruin :  to  go  in  any  direction  was  hardly  less  perilous ; 
for  the  rebel  cavalry  was  out  upon  every  road,  intent 
upon  capturing  the  deserter  and  the  Yankee.  As  they 
emerged  from  the  more  thickly  settled  parts  of  the  city, 
Ihcy  discovered  a  negro  approaching  them. 

"Where  does  this  road  lead  to?"  demanded  De  Ban- 
yan, reining  in  his  fiery  steed. 

"Prince  George's  Court  House,  massa,"  replied  the 
man.     "  Wha'  for  you  gwine  down  dar?" 

De  Banyan  was  not  disposed  to  answer  any  unneces- 
sary questions,  and  again  spurred  on  his  horse. 

"  See  here,  massa  !  "  shouted  the  negro. 

"  What  do  you  want?"  asked  De  Banyan  impatiently  ; 
for,  being  a  Southerner  himself,  he  had  no  particular 
respect  for  the  negro  race. 

"  Don't  go  do^vn  dar,  massa." 

"Why  not?" 

"  Git  cotched  if  you  do,  massa,"  said  the  man  with 
an  expressive  grin.  "De  sodgers  on  de  horses  is  down 
dar  arter  you." 

"  How  do  you  know  they  are  after  us,  you  black 
rascal ?  " 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         331 

''  Kase  dey  ax  dis  chile  if  he  see  two  men,  one  ob  'em 
dressed  like  de  'federate  ossifer,  and  de  odder  a  Yank. 
Dis  nigger  didn't  see  no  sich  pussons  den  ;  but,  golly, 
sees  um  now  for  sartin.  You  done  git  cotched  as  shore 
as  you  was  born,  massa,  if  you  go  down  dar." 

*'  Where  shall  we  go,  then?  " 

"  Dunno,  massa  ;  but  you  mustn't  be  seen  gwine  down 
dar." 

"  How  many  soldiers  did  you  meet?" 

"  Four,  sar." 

"  This  won't  do,  Somers.     How  is  your  arm?" 

"  It  begins  to  ache.  We  may  as  well  go  forward  as 
back,"  said  Somers,  who  was  now  suffering  severely 
from  his  wound,  which  had  not  been  improved  by  the 
liard  gallop  of  the  horse  he  rode. 

"  Who  lives  in  ihat  house?  "  demanded  De  Banyan  of 
the  negro,  pointing  to  a  splendid  dwelling  a  short  dis- 
tance ahead. 

*'  Dr.  Scoville,  massa." 

"  Doctor?"  replied  the  captain,  glancing  at  Somers. 

"  Yes,  sar  :  Dr.  Scoville.  Dat's  a  mighty  fine  mar  you 
rides,  massa.     I  reckon  dat's  Captain  Sheffield's  mar." 

"  Very  likely." 

*'  Don't  mind  me,  massa  :  dis  chile's  a  Union  man  for 
shore,"  grinned  the  negro. 

"  All  the  negroes  are  Union  men,"  replied  Somers 
faintly. 


332  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

"  Dat's  so,  massa  !  " 

"  "What's  Dr.  Scoville?  "  asked  De  Banyan  hopefully. 

"  Secesh,  massa,  —  drefful  secesh.  He  done  been  in 
de  array  for  a  surgeon." 

"  He  is  a  dangerous  man,  then." 

"  Dar,  massa,  dar !  "  shouted  the  negro  suddenly,  as 
he  pointed  down  the  road  over  which  the  fugitives  had 
just  come.     "  Dey's  some  more  arter  you." 

Dc  Banyan  started  his  horse  again,  followed  by 
8(jniers  ;  but  it  was  evident  from  the  appearance  of  the 
latter  that  the  chase  was  nearly  finished  for  him.  He 
was  beginning  to  feel  very  faint  from  the  loss  of  blood, 
while  the  pain  of  his  wounded  arm  was  almost  insup- 
portable. The  gait  of  the  horse  seemed  to  wrench  the 
bones  asunder,  and  cause  the  shattered  parts  to  grate 
against  each  other. 

"  Hurry  up,  Somers,  my  dear  boy,"  said  his  com- 
panion, as  he  glanced  back  at  the  pale  face  of  his 
friend. 

"  I  am  afraid  I  can't  go  much  farther,  De  Banyan," 
replied  Somers.     "  I  am  very  faint.     I  feel  sick." 

"  Cheer  up,  and  make  one  effort  more.  The  rebels 
are  upon  us ! " 

"  I  cannot.     I  shall  fall  from  the  horse,  I  am  afraid." 

"  Don't  do  that.' 

"I  won't  if  I  can  help  it ;  but  the  motion  of  the  horse 
almost  kills  me.  Leave  me,  De  Banyan  :  save  yourself 
if  you  can." 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         333 

"  Leave  you  ?  I  haven't  the  remotest  idea  of  doing 
any  thing  of  the  sort." 

"  Better  go  on,  and  save  yourself.  It  is  all  up  with 
me." 

''  A  mother  would  sooner  leave  her  baby  than  I  would 
leave  you,"  replied  De  Banyan  in  tones  as  tender  as  a 
woman's.  "  I'll  never  leave  you,  Somers.  If  you  go  to 
Richmond,  I  shall  go  with  you." 

''  You  cannot  do  me  any  good.  Save  yourself  before 
it  is  too  late." 

"  Not  I." 

"  I  beg  you"  — 

"  Cease  your  blarney,  my  dear  boy  !  ^Ye  are  one  flesh  ; 
and  we  will  hang  together  to  the  end  of  life,  or  at  the 
end  of  it,  as  the  case  may  be.  Here,  Somers,  stick  to 
your  horse  a  moment  more,  and  we  will  call  and  see  the 
doctor." 

"  Dr.  Scoville ! "  exclaimed  Somers,  alarmed  at  the 
idea. 

"  Very  likely  he  is  a  good  surgeon.  You  are  on  the 
sick-list  now  :  mind  Avhat  I  say,  and  do  just  what  I  tell 
you." 

De  Banyan,  without  stating  what  he  intended  to  do, 
dashed  up  the  roadway  leading  to  Dr.  Seoville's  house. 
It  was  evident  that  he  was  about  to  resort  to  some  des- 
perate expedient  to  retrieve  the  sliattered  fortunes  of  his 
party  ;  but  he  kept  his  own  counsel ;  and  Somers  yielded 


334  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

himself  to  the  master  will  of  his  companion  like  a  child, 
as  indeed  he  was  in  his  exhausted  and  suffering  condi- 
tion. The  roadway  led  to  the  rear  of  the  house  where 
the  stable  was  located ;  and  De  Banyan  reined  up  his 
foaming  steed  as  soon  as  he  reached  the  corner  of  the 
building. 

"  Keep  still  a  moment,  Somers,  and  I'll  have  you 
taken  care  of,"  said  De  Banyan,  as  he  rode  back  to 
a  point  where  he  could  see  the  road  without  being 
seen. 

It  Avas  evident  that  they  had  been  observed  by  the 
party  of  horsemen  which  had  just  come  out  of  the  city ; 
and  he  wished  to  ascertain  whether  they  had  seen  him 
turn  in  at  the  doctor's  premises.  The  pursuers  (for  every 
mounted  man  Avas  a  pursuer  on  that  eventful  morning) 
were  riding  in  every  direction  in  search  of  the  fugitives. 
He  hoped  they  would  pass  by,  satisfied  that  any  person 
who  should  boldly  call  upon  Dr.  Scoville  must  be  a 
rebel. 

He  was  disappointed.  When  the  party  reached  the 
road,  they  reined  up  their  horses  ;  and  De  Banyan,  with- 
out losing  a  moment,  dismounted,  fastened  Jenny  to  a 
post  in  the  yard,  and  ran  down  to  intercept  the  troopers. 
The  captain  walked  with  the  quick,  sharp,  consequential 
tramp  of  a  military  commander  ;  and,  when  the  soldiers 
saw  him,  they  involuntarily  saluted  him. 

*' What  are  you  doing  up  here?"  he  demanded  in  tones 
of  authority. 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF   AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         335 

"  Wc  are  looking  for  the  prisoners  that  runned  away," 
replied  a  corporal. 

^'  Well,  do  you  expect  to  find  them  in  the  dwelling- 
house  of  Dr.  Scoville?  Ride  down  the  road  as  fast  as 
you  can,  and  turn  to  the  first  left.  If  you  meet  the 
major,  report  Captain  Sheffield  badly  wounded,  —  shot  by- 
one  of  the  prisoners." 

"  Then  the  prisoners  have  gone  down  this  way?" 

"  Certainly  they  have.  Off  with  you  as  fast  as  you 
can  !  " 

The  corporal  saluted,  wheeled  his  horse,  and  dashed 
off,  followed  by  the  rest  of  the  party.  De  Banyan  wiped 
away  the  cold  sweat  from  his  brow,  and  returned  to  his 
suffering  companion.  He  helped  him  to  dismount,  and 
seated  him  on  a  block  while  he  secured  the  horse.  By 
this  time,  a  couple  of  negro  women  came  out  of  the 
house.  They  were  the  early  risers  of  the  family,  and  at 
once  manifested  the  most  abundant  sympathy  for  the  suf- 
ferer. The  doors  of  the  house  were  thrown  wide  open 
to  him  ;  and  Captain  de  Banyan,  supporting  Somers, 
followed  the  servants  into  the  sitting-room,  where  the 
patient  was  laid  upon  the  sofa  in  a  fainting  condition. 

"  Now  call  your  master,"  said  De  Banyan,  with  as 
much  assurance  as  though  he  had  been  the  lord  of  the 
manor. 

"  Yes,  massa,"  replied  one  of  the  women  as  she  has- 
tened to  obey  the  order. 


336  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  How  do  you  feel,  my  dear  boy?"  said  De  Banyan, 
bending  over  his  charge. 

But  Somers  was  past  answering.  He  had  fainted  from 
loss  of  blood  and  the  agony  of  his  wound.  The  resolute 
captain  did  not  wait  for  Dr.  Scoville  in  this  emergency ; 
but,  taking  a  bottle  of  cologne  from  the  mantle,  he 
applied  himself  with  skill  and  vigor  to  the  restoration  of 
his  patient.  While  he  was  thus  engaged,  the  doctor 
made  his  appearance.  He  was  a  man  of  fifty,  of  for- 
bidding aspect  and  rough  exterior. 

"Who  are  you,  sir?"  demanded  he  in  brusk  tones, 
placing  himself  in  front  of  the  captain,  and  without 
bestowing  more  than  a  glance  at  the  patient  on  the 
sofa. 

"  Captain  Sheffield,"  replied  De  Banyan  as  sharply  as 
the  question  had  been  put. 

"Are  you,  indeed?  Then  you  have  altered  a  great 
deal  since  I  saw  you  yesterday,"  added  Dr.  Scoville,  Avith 
an  expression  of  malignant  triumph  on  his  face. 

This  reply  was  a  damper  on  any  little  scheme  which 
the  over-confident  De  Banyan  had  proposed  to  carry  out ; 
but  the  captain  was  a  profound  student  in  the  mysteries 
of  human  nature,  and  at  once  correctly  read  the  char- 
acter of  the  gentleman  who  stood  before  liim. 

"  You  didn't  see  me  yesterday,  and  you  know  you 
didn't,"  he  replied  in  tones  hardly  less  savage  than  those 
of  his  involuntary  host. 


Captain  Soniers  Wounded.     Page  3-37, 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         337 

'  That's  very  true  ;  I  did  not,"  said  the  doctor. 
"  This  point  settled,  I'll  thank  you  to  turn  to  the  next 
one,  which  is  the  patient  before  you." 

"  You  are  a  plain-spoken  man,"  added  Dr.  Scoville, 
still  gazing  intently  into  the  face  of  the  captain  ;  who, 
however,  returned  the  look  as  resolutely  and  as  earnestly 
as  it  was  given. 

"  I  am  :  I  don't  w^aste  words  w^hen  my  friend  is  dying, 
for  aught  I  know.     Will  you  attend  to  this  man  ?  " 
*'Who  is  he?" 

"He  is  a  man  shot  throuo^h  the  arm,  and  needino- 
instant  surgical  attendance,"  answered  De  Banyan  im- 
patiently. "  It  isn't  necessary  to  know  any  more  before 
you  examine  him." 

"  Good ! "  exclaimed  the  doctor  with  a  smile  such  as 
that  in  which  a  hyena  might  be  supposed  to  indulge  when 
pleased,  if  hyenas  ever  are  pleased. 

He  turned  to  Somers,  and  proceeded  to  examine  into 
his  condition.  The  coat  of  the  patient  was  removed 
from  his  insensible  form,  and  he  was  carefully  disposed 
on  the  sofa,  according  to  the  directions  of  the  doctor ; 
the  captain  and  the  negro  women  assisting  in  the  work. 
Though  the  surgeon  was  as  rough  as  a  bear  in  his  tone 
and  manner,  he  was  as  tender  as  a  loving  mother  in  his 
treatment  of  the  sufferer,  and  handled  him  as  carefully  as 
tliough  he  had  been  a  new-born  babe.  The  blood  was 
stanched,  and  the  wound  dressed  as  skilfully  as  human 

n 


338  THE    YOUNQ   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

liands  and  human  knowledge  could  perform  the  opera- 
tion. 

"  What  do  you  think  of  him?"  asked  De  Banyan,  full 
of  anxiety  for  his  suffering  companion. 

''  He  won't  die  just  yet ;  but  he  may  lose  his  arm." 

"Good  Heavens!  do  you  think  so?"  exclaimed  the 
captain. 

"  No  :  I  don't  think  so." 

"What  did  you  say  so  for,  then?" 

"  I  didn't  say  so." 

"Didn't  you  say  he  would  lose  his  arm?"  demanded 
De  Banyan  savagely. 

"  I  didn't  say  so." 

"  What  did  you  say,  then  ?  " 

"  I  said  he  might  lose  his  arm.  You  may  lose  your 
arm ;  but  I  think  you  are  more  likely  to  lose  your  head. 
Who  is  this  young  man  ?  " 

"  He  is  a  friend  of  mine  ;  and,  as  I  find  it  necessary  to 
be  entirely  candid  with  an  old  fellow  like  you,  I  shall 
answer  no  questions  in  regard  to  him  at  present." 

"  Indeed !  " 

"  Not  a  question.  Dr.  Scoville.  I  intend  to  have  him 
stay  at  your  house  till  he  is  able  to  join  his  regiment ; 
and  I  intend  to  stay  with  him." 

"  You  do  me  unmerited  honor  by  making  my  humble 
house  your  liome,"  said  the  doctor  satirically. 

"  I  think  you  are  worthy  of  the  honor.  Dr.  Scoville. 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  AliMY    OFFICER.         339 

As  to  your  humble  house,  I  think  it  is  very  well  got  up, 
creditable  to  your  taste,  aud  altogether  a  fine  place." 

"  Thank  you  !  "  growled  the  host.  "  I  suppose  you 
have  no  objection  to  my  informing  the  Confederate- 
States  military  officers  in  the  city  of  your  presence 
here?" 

"  Not  the  slightest,"  answered  De  Banyan  promptly. 
**  I  propose  to  inform  them  myself  in  due  time." 
"  What  did  you  say  your  name  was?  " 
"  Captain  Sheffield." 
"Of  Petersburg?" 
"  No,  sir." 

''Not  of  Petersburg?" 

"No,  sir:  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  which  I  can 
farther  inform  you  is  the  capital  of  the  State.  I  have 
the  honor  to  be  a  captain  in  the  Third  Tennessee.  I 
served  in  Mexico,  in  the  Crimea,  and  in  Italy.  I  was 
present  at  four  battles  in  the  Crimea,  seven  in  Italy,  five 
in  Mexico ;  I  have  been  engaged  in  nine  battles  of  the 
present  war,  and  have  been  wounded  six  times." 
"  Were  you  ever  killed  ?  " 

"  Never  was  so  unfortunate.  Can  I  furnish  you  with 
any  further  information  ?  " 

"  No  more  at  present,"  replied  the  doctor,  compressing 
his  lips,  apparently  to  keep  from  laughing,  but  really 
because  he  could  not  think  of  any  thing  sharp  enough  to 
dash  so  ready  a  talker.     "  If  you  do  me  the  honor  to 


340  THE    TO  UNO  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

remain  here  a  week,  I  shall  have  better  opportunities  of 
hearing  your  marvellous  experience,  Captain  Sheffield. 
Ah,  what  have  we  here  ? "  continued  he  as  three  horse- 
men galloped  up  the  roadway. 

A  violent  knocking  was  presently  heard  at  the  side 
door  of  the  house,  and  Dr.  Scoville  hastened  to  learn  the 
errand  of  the  excited  visitors. 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  AUMY   OFFICER.         341 


CHAPTER     XXIX. 


DE    BANYAN    AT    WORK. 


(Vy^OW  do  you  feel,  my  dear  boy?"  asked  Captain 
plwjl  de  Banyan  as  soon  as  the  doctor  had  left  the 
/  ^^f    room. 

Somers,  by  the  skilful  applications  of  the 
physician,  had  been  restored  to  consciousness,  and  had 
listened  with  astonishment,  not  unmingled  with  alarm, 
to  the  last  part  of  the  conversation  between  his  friend 
and  their  host. 

''I  feel  a  little  better,  captain  :  at  any  rate,  I  am  more 
comfortable,"  replied  Somers. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  it.     I  have  been  terribly  worried 
about  you.' 

"  I  think  I  shall  do  well  enough.     But  what  shall  I 
say  for  myself?  " 

"  Say  nothing,  Somers,  —  not  a  word.     Don't  commit 
yourself  to  any  thing." 

"  What  have  you  told  him?  " 

"  Nothing  ;  and  I  don't  intend  to  tell  him  any  thing. 


342  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

He  is  a  jolly  old  fellow,  who  thinks  he  is  very  eccentric, 
and  takes  pride  in  being  considered  so.  When  I  was 
in  the  Crimea  "  — 

"  Never  mind  the  Crimea  now,"  interrupted  Somers 
with  a  languid  smile. 

"  I  was  only  going  to  say  that  I  understand  the  old 
doctor  first-rate,  and  can  manage  him  as  easily  as  I 
could  an  old  plough-horse.  Keep  still,  Somers  :  don't 
let  on,  under  any  circumstances.  Leave  me  to  do  all  the 
talking." 

"  But  the  cavalry  are  after  us  now." 

"  Never  mind :  the  doctor  will  take  care  of  them." 

''  They  will  recognize  our  horses,  if  they  don't  know 
us.'- 

"  No  matter  if  they  do." 

Somers  thought  it  was  matter ;  and  he  could  not  see 
for  the  life  of  him  how  De  Banyan  was  to  get  out  of 
such  a  scrape  as  this  ;  for  it  was  an  infinitely  worse  one 
than  his  own  experience  on  the  Williamsburg  Eoad.  He 
could  only  hope  for  the  best,  expecting  nothing  but 
disaster. 

"  Good  !  Bully  for  the  doctor  !  "  exclaimed  De  Ban- 
yan as  the  sounds  of  an  excited  controversy  at  the  side 
door  reached  the  ears  of  the  patient  and  his  friend. 
"  He  is  doing  just  what  I  expected  him  to  do." 

"Pray,  what  did  you  expect  him  to  do?"  asked 
Somers,    who    could    not    see    what    a    rebel    surgeon 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         343 

• 

could  be  expected  to  do  under  the  circumstances,  be- 
sides delivering  them  up  to  the  military  authorities. 

"  I  expect  him  to  protect  us  to  the  utmost  of  his  abil- 
ity ;  and,  in  my  opinion,  he  has  quite  as  much  influence  as 
any  other  man  in  Petersburg.  When  you  see  a  man  like 
Dr.  Scoville,  you  may  depend  upon  it  he  is  a  power  in 
the  community  where  he  lives.  He  knows  it  as  well  as 
any  other  person.  Let  the  doctor  alone,  and  he  will 
manage  the  matter  as  skilfully  as  he  dressed  your 
wounded    arm." 

"Whatever  confidence  Captain  de  Banyan  had  in  the  will 
and  the  ability  of  Dr.  S.  oville  to  protect  them,  he  Avas 
curious  to  hear  what  the  soldiers  and  what  the  doctor 
liad  to  say.  He  was  not  quite  willing  to  be  seen  by  the 
rebel  soldiers :  so  he  passed  quickly  into  the  entry,  and 
took  a  position  where  he  could  hear  without  being 
observed. 

"  Do  you  know  who  I  am?  —  you  villain  !  "  demanded 
the  doctor,  in  tones  so  full  of  rage,  that  the  troopers 
ought  to  have  been  annihilated,  though  it  appears  that 
they  were  not. 

"I  don't  care  who  you  are :  I  w^ant  the  men  that  came 
here  an  hour  ago,"  replied  one  of  the  troopers. 

"  If  Jeff.  Davis  himself  came  for  them,  he  couldn't 
have  them ! "  roared  Dr.  Scoville. 

''  I  tell  you,  sir,  one  of  them  is  a  deserter,  and  the 
other  is  a  Yankee.'* 


344  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;     OR, 

"  I  dou't  care  what  they  are.  Report  my  answer  to 
the  provost-marshal ;  tell  him  Dr.  Scoville  will  be 
responsible   for  the   safety  of  the  men." 

"  I  won't  report  any  such  answer  to  him." 

"  If  a  man  of  you  attempts  to  enter  my  house,  I'll 
shoot  him  !  "  replied  the  doctor,  taking  a  rifle  from  a  nail 
in  the  entry. 

"  Very  well,  sir  :  if  you  can  shoot  any  better  than  we 
can,  you  may  begin,"  said  the  soldier.  "  But,  as  sure  as 
you  fire,  you  are  a  dead  man." 

"  And  those  of  you  whom  I  don't  shoot  will  be  hung 
as  soon  as  you  report  the  death  of  Dr.  Scoville  at  head- 
quarters." 

Whatever  the  soldiers  thought,  they  were  not  willing 
to  assume  the  responsibility  of  shooting  a  man  like  the 
doctor,  whose  splendid  mansion  was  a  guaranty  of  his 
wealth  and  high  standing,  and  whose  strong  words 
assured  them  that  he  was  a  man  of  influence.  Even 
the  possibility  of  being  hung  in  such  a  cause  was  not 
agreeable  to  contemplate  ;  and  the  doctor  carried  the 
day  against  his  assailants. 

"  I  don't  want  to  shoot  you,  Dr.  Scoville  ;  but  I  shall 
put  a  guard  over  your  house,  and  wait  for  further 
orders,"  said  the  soldier,  who  appeared  to  be  a  ser- 
geant. 

"Do  any  thing  you  please:  but  don't  you  enter  ray 
house.      Every  man,  woman,  and   child  here   is   under 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         345 

my  protection,"  replied  the  doctor,  as  he  restored  the 
rifle  to  its  original  position  ;  and  the  troopers  retired 
from  the  door. 

Captain  de  Banyan  withdrew  from  the  hall,  and  joined 
Somers  in  the  sitting-room,  where  he  was  immediately 
followed  by  the  doctor.  The  situation  did  not  look  very 
hopeful,  even  to  a  man  of  such  desperate  fortunes  as  the 
bold  Tennessean.  The  house  was  surrounded  by  rebel 
soldiers,  and  a  report  of  the  case  would  probably  be 
made  to  the  provost-marshal:  therefore  it  was  not  at 
all  likely  that  the  doughty  doctor  could  long  remain 
contumacious. 

"  So,  my  mysterious  friend,  you  are  a  Confederate 
deserter,  are  you  ?  "  said  the  doctor,  as  he  placed  him- 
self in  front  of  the  captain,  thrust  his  hands  deep 
down  into  the  pockets  of  hh  pants,  and  stared  at  his 
guest  with  all  the  vigor  of  an  active  and  piercin/>-  eye. 

"  You  say  that  I  am  ;  but  I  adhere  to  my  original  res- 
olution, to  say  nothing  at  present,"  replied  De  Banyan, 
returning  the  gaze  of  the  doctor  as  earnestly  as  it  was 
given. 

"  If  you  were  Abe  Lincoln  himself,  you  are  safe  in 
my  house,"  said  the  doctor  after  a  long  pause.  ''But 
I  wish  you  to  understand  clearly  and  precisely  what  I 
mean.  I  am  not  the  man  to  shield  a  deserter  or  a 
Yankee  from  the  penalty  due  to  his  crimes.  You  came 
into  my  house  with  a  wounded  man.     I  am  an  Arab  on 


346  THE    TO  UNO   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

the  subject  of  hospitality.  "Whoever  comes  into  my 
house  is  my  guest ;  and  I  never  betrayed  a  man  who 
trusted  in  me." 

"  Thank  you,  doctor." 

"  You  needn't  thank  me,  for  I  despise  you  from  the 
deepest  depths  of  my  heart ;  and  in  due  time  you  will 
fall  into  the  hands  of  the  military  authorities,  but  not  in 
my  house." 

''  Thank  you,  Dr.  Scoville.  I  appreciate  your  hospi- 
tality, and  despise  you  as  much  as  you  do  me,"  answered 
De  Banyan. 

"  Despise  me  !     How  dare  you  "  — 

"Oh  !  I  dare  do  any  thing  ;  and  I  beg  leave  to  inform 
you  that  neither  myself  nor  my  friend  will  fall  into  the 
hands  of  the  soldiers,  either  in  your  house  or  outside  of 
it.  You  can  set  your  mind  entirely  at  ease  on  that 
subject." 

"  I  am  tempted  for  once  to  violate  even  my  own  law 
of  hospitality." 

"  As  you  please,  doctor :  that  matter  is  for  you  to 
consider,  not  for  me.  But  I  beg  you  to  understand  pre- 
cisely what  I  say.  I  am  very  thankful  to  you  for  your 
kindness  ;  and  I  assure  you,  that,  whatever  you  do  and  say, 
I  shall  remember  your  hospitality  with  the  most  grateful 
emotions.     I  speak  for  myself  and  for  my  friend.  " 

Dr.  Scoville  seemed  to  be  very  much  perplexed,  as 
the  captain  evidently  intended  he  should  be  ;  and,  turning 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         347 

abruptly  from  tlie  deserter,  he  paced  the  room,  rapidly 
and  in  silence,  for  several  minutes.  De  Banyan  sat 
down  by  the  side  of  Somers,  and  said  a  great  many  com- 
forting things  to  him,  which,  in  his  weak  and  suffering 
condition,  were  as  grateful  as  a  woman's  smile  at  the 
couch  of  pain. 

Breakfast  was  ready ;  and  with  the  utmost  politeness 
the  doctor  conducted  his  guest  to  the  table,  while  one 
of  the  black  women  was  ordered  to  supply  the  wants  of 
the  patient  on  the  sofa.  During  the  meal,  not  a  word 
was  said  about  the  war,  or  the  peculiar  circumstances 
under  which  the  patient  and  his  friend  had  come  to  the 
house.  The  captain  discoursed  about  the  wars  in  other 
lands,  and  it  is  more  than  probable  that  he  exercised 
the  credulity  of  the  doctor  to  the  utmost.  Both  the 
host  and  the  guest  were  affable  to  the  last  degree  ;  for  the 
choleric  physician  was  conscious  that  he  had  more  than 
a  match  in  the  other. 

After  breakfast,  Somers  was  conducted  to  the  guest- 
chamber  on  the  second  floor  of  the  mansion.  He  was 
as  tenderly  cared  for  by  the  doctor  and  the  servants 
as  though  he  had  been  an  honored  friend,  instead  of  a 
hunted  enemy.  In  the  course  of  the  forenoon,  Dr. 
Scoville  received  a  visit  from  the  provost-marshal,  at- 
tended by  half  a  company  of  cavalry.  Of  course,  the 
captain  was  exceedingly  curious  to  knoAv  the  result  of 
this  interview,  which  was  conducted  in  the  most  cour- 


348  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

teous  manner ;  and  he  was  so  impolite  as  to  play  the 
part  of  a  listener.  The  officer  was  informed  that  Cap- 
tain Sheffield  had  been  dangerously  wounded  by  the  fu- 
gitives ;  but  the  eccentric  physician  positively  refused  to 
have  his  guests  taken  from  his  house,  assuring  the  pro- 
vost-marshal that  he  would  be  responsible  for  their  safe- 
keeping, and  offered  to  board  a  dozen  men  who  should 
be  employed  in  guarding  them.  The  officer  protested  in 
gentlemanly  terms  against  such  a  course  ;  but  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  doctor  was  the  greatest  man  in  Petersburg, 
and  must  have  his  own  way. 

The  result  of  the  conference  was,  that  the  provost-mar- 
shal yielded  the  point,  and  a  sentinel  was  placed  at  the 
door  of  Somers's  chamber,  to  which  the  captain  had  re- 
treated. The  officer  visited  the  room,  and  fully  identi- 
fied his  prisoner,  between  Avhom  and  himself  a  sharp 
conversation  ensued,  much  to  the  amusement  of  the 
doctor.  The  captain  was  assured,  that,  in  due  time,  he 
should  swing ;  which  pleasant  information  he  received 
with  becoming  good  nature,  promising  to  be  present 
when  the  exciting  event  should  take  place.  The  pro- 
vost-marshal retired,  satisfied  with  the  precautions  he 
had  taken. 

For  the  following  three  days,  the  sentinel  at  the  door, 
with  a  loaded  musket  in  his  hand,  kept  guard  over  his 
prisoners.  Somers  had  improved  rapidly  ;  though,  by  the 
advice  of  his  managing  friend,  he  pretended  to  be  much 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         349 

Avorse  tliau  he  really  was.  Dr.  Scoville,  though  he 
still  kept  his  word  and  maintained  his  position  with  re- 
gard to  the  prisoners,  continually  "  thorned"  the  captain 
with  a  prospect  of  the  gallows,  which  he  declared  was 
his  certain  doom.  De  Banyan  still  preserved  his  equa- 
nimity, and  still  declared  that  he  should  never  be  hung. 

'^  What  do  you  intend  to  do?  "  asked  Somers  on  the 
third  day  of  his  confinement,  after  the  doctor  had  taunted 
his  guest  with  more  than  usual  severity. 

"  I  haven't  the  least  id^a,  my  dear  boy,"  replied  the 
captain  with  a  grim  smile.  "  So  far,  I  have  no  plans. 
When  you  are  able  to  move,  Somers,  we  will  see  what 
can  be  done." 

"  I  can  move  now  :  you  need  not  delay  a  single  hour 
on  my  account.     I  am  all  right  but  my  arm." 

De  Banyan  was  by  no  means  as  cheerful  as  he 
appeared  to  be.  He  was  troubled,  and  paced  the 
room  with  uneasy  tread  ;  but,  the  moment  the  doctor 
entered  the  room,  he  was  as  gay  as  a  Broadway  beau. 
Somers  had  vainly  attempted  to  persuade  him  to  make 
his  o^vn  escape,  and  leave  him  to  his  fate  ;  but  the  brave 
fellow  steadily  refused  to  desert  him  under  any  circum- 
stances that  could  possibly  present  themselves. 

The  captain  was  remarkably  still  for  him,  after  Somers 
had  convinced  him  that  he  was  able  to  move.  He  paced 
the  room  as  before  ;  but  his  eyes  were  glancing  uneasily 
at  the  floor,  the  ceiling,  and  the  walls  of  the  apartment. 


350  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    Oli, 

The  work  had  commenced  in  his  mind ;  and  Somers 
watched  his  movements  with  interest,  yet  without  hope. 
On  one  side  of  the  fireplace  in  the  room  there  was  a 
door,  which  was  locked,  but  Avhich  evidently  opened  into 
a  closet. 

Before  this  door,  De  Banyan  suddenly  came  to  a  dead 
halt.  He  examined  it  with  the  utmost  care  ;  and  then, 
with  a  fork  from  the  breakfast  things  which  had  not  been 
removed,  he  commenced  operations  upon  the  lock.  One 
of  the  prongs  of  the  fork  was  broken  off  between  two 
bricks  in  the  fireplace,  and  the  other  bent ;  so  that  the 
instrument  formed  a  very  good  pick-lock.  The  door  was 
opened  without  the  expenditure  of  much  time  or  patience  ; 
and  the  captain  proceeded  to  explore  the  interior  of  the 
closet,  after  instructing  his  fellow-prisoner  to  give  him 
timely  ^varning  of  any  movement  on  the  part  of  the 
sentinel. 

Somers  did  not  see  the  captain  again  for  half  an  hour ; 
but,  when  he  came  out,  he  looked  as  though  he  had  en- 
dured the  tortures  of  a  month  of  suspense  ;  but,  with  a 
ghastly  smile,  he  told  his  companion  that  the  hour  for 
action  had  come. 

"  'SYhat  do  you  mean,  captain?  "  demanded  Somers. 

"  Let  us  use  haste  :  we  shall  have  more  time  to  talk 
to-morrow,  when  we  get  back  to  the  camp  on  the  other 
side  of  James  River.  Are  you  very  sure  that  you  can 
stand  the  fatigue  of  a  long  walk?" 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY  OFFICER.         351 

"  I  know  I  can." 

"  Then  come  with  me  ;  but  a  particle  of  noise  will  be 
fatal  to  us." 

De  Banyan  led  the  way  to  the  closet ;  but,  before  he 
entered  himself,  he  tied  together  the  two  sheets  of  the 
bed,  and  made  one  end  fast  to  one  of  the  bed-posts,  near 
a  window  at  the  end  of  the  house,  which  he  opened  with- 
out noise.  Dropping  the  sheet  out,  he  retreated  to  the 
closet,  and  with  the  pick-lock  secured  the  door.  They 
were  in  darkness  now,  and,  seating  themselves  on  the 
floor,  with  palpitating  hearts  they  waited  the  issue.  For 
more  than  an  hour  they  waited  the  expected  alarm. 
They  could  occasionally  hear  a  movement  on  the  part 
of  the  sentinel  in  the  entry ;  but  he  probably  thought  it 
was  foolish  to  be  very  vigilant  over  a  man  so  sick  as 
Somers.  But  the  demonstration  came  at  last ;  and  the 
prisoners,  sweltering  in  the  confined  air  of  the  closet, 
listened  with  breathless  interest  to  the  shouts  of  the 
soldiers  outside,  and  to  the  rapid  steps  of  those  within 
the  mansion. 

The  doctor  and  the  sentinel  entered  the  chamber  so 
lately  occupied  by  the  prisoners.  The  former  swore  in 
no  measured  terms  at  the  faithlessness  of  the  sentry  at 
the  door,  and  at  the  stupidity  of  those  who  guarded  the 
house  outside.  But  they  seemed  to  have  no  doubt  as  to  the 
manner  of  the  escape.  There  Avas  the  open  window,  and 
the  rope  made  of  the  bed-linen,  which  De  Banyan  had 


352  THE    YOUNO   LIEUTENANT;     OR, 

pulled  with  bis  hands  till  it  had  the  appearance  of  hav- 
ing- sustained  a  great  weight.  Dr.  Scoville  did  not  even 
try  the  door  of  the  closet ;  and  the  anxious  listeners  soon 
had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  the  sounds  of  horses'  hoofs, 
as  the  cavalry  rode  off  to  engage  in  the  search  for  the 
fugitives. 

Every  thing  about  the  house  soon  subsided  into  the 
most  profound  quiet ;  and  it  was  evident  that  the  doctor 
and  all  the  soldiers  were  engaged  in  the  search.  After 
this  solemn  stillness  had  continued  for  a  time,  they  heard 
the  voices  of  the  servants  in  the  chamber.  They  talked 
about  the  escape  ;  and  all  of  them  expressed  a  hope  that 
"  poor  young  massa  would  get  out  ob  de  way."  Here 
was  an  opportunity  for  an  alliance,  offensive  and  defen- 
sive, which  the  prudent  captain  could  not  reject.  Care- 
fully opening  the  door,  he  presented  himself  to  the  aston- 
ished negroes.  With  considerable  difficulty,  he  hushed 
their  noisy  exclamations,  and  opened  the  case  so  elo- 
quently, that  all  three  of  them  readily  promised  to  help 
the  fugitives  in  making  their  escape.  They  grinned  with 
delight  when  they  comprehended  the  trick  by  which  the 
doctor  and  the  soldiers  had  been  put  on  the  wrong 
scent. 

With  their  assistance,  the  fugitives  left  the  house,  and 
made  their  way  to  the  stable,  where  Alick,  the  man  who 
had  waited  upon  them  in  the  room,  raised  a  plank  in  the 
floor,  and  introduced  them  to  secure  but  not  very  com- 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         353 

fort  able  quarters  under  the  building.  There  was  no 
cellar  under  the  stable,  and  the  space  which  they  occu- 
pied was  not  more  than  two  feet  in  height ;  but  what  it 
lacked  in  this  direction,  it  made  up  in  length  and 
width. 

When  the  fugitives  were  fairly  installed  in  their  new 
hiding-place,  Alick  sat  down  on  the  floor,  and  told  them 
all  he  knew  about  the  events  which  had  transpired  since 
their  absence  had  been  discovered.  He  brought  them  an 
abundant  supply  of  food  and  drink,  and  promised  to 
provide  them  witli  horses  as  soon  as  it  was  dark.  It 
was  nearly  night  before  the  doctor  returned  ;  and,  while 
attending  to  his  horse,  Alick  asked  him  some  questions 
about  the  chase.  He  was  not  very  communicative  ;  for, 
of  course,  the  pursuit  had  been  imsuccessful :  but  the 
ingenious  black  wormed  some  facts  out  of  him  in  regard 
to  the  events  of  the  day,  which  enabled  him  to  be  of  great 
assistance  to  the  fugitives. 

The  doctor  had  hardly  gone  into  the  house  before 
Alick  commenced  his  preparations  for  departure  ;  and 
three  horses  instead  of  two  were  in  readiness  when 
Somers  and  the  captain  emerged  from  their  covert. 
Alick  was  to  be  one  of  the  party ;  and  by  the  fields  in 
the  rear  of  the  house  they  commenced  their  perilous 
journey. 

23 


354  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENAjST;    OR, 


c 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

ANOTHER   COMMISSION. 

'HE  horses  which  De  Banyan  and  Somers  rode 
were  those  taken  from  the  stable  of  Captain 
Sheffield,  w^hich  had  not  yet  been  removed 
from  Dr.  Scoville's  stable  ;  while  that  on  which 
Alick  was  mounted  was  one  of  the  best  of  his  master's 
stock.  The  party  proceeded  through  the  fields  for  a 
short  distance  till  they  came  to  a  cross-road,  when  they 
put  their  horses  to  the  top  of  their  speed.  The  guide 
was  familiar  with  all  the  roads  in  the  vicinity.  The  in- 
formation which  he  had  obtained  from  the  doctor  was 
exceedingly  valuable  ;  for  it  assured  the  fugitives  in  what 
direction  the  search  for  them  had  been  pushed. 

Dr.  Scoville  believed  that  the  prisoners  were  con- 
cealed in  the  vicinity  of  the  city,  and  that,  at  night,  they 
would  attempt  to  make  their  w^ay  in  the  direction  of  City 
Point ;  and  he  assured  Alick  that  they  would  certainly  be 
caught  before  morning,  for  the  country  in  that  region 
was  strongly  picketed  by  cavalry.  It  is  more  than  prob- 
able they  w^ould  have  been   taken  if  the  doctor  had  not 


THE   ADVEXTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICE n.         355 

been  so  obliging  as  to  inform  Aliek  of  these  facts.  The 
faithful  black,  who  had  served  his  master,  man  and  boy, 
for  forty  years,  was  entitled  to  this  consideration.  Of 
course,  he  could  not  have  believed  that  Alick  would  be 
so  ungrateful  and  uugenerous'as  to  run  away  from  him  ; 
but  it  is  a  fact  which  speaks  well  for  the  negro  race,  that 
so  many  have  preferred  liberty  with  toil  and  hardship 
to  slavery  with  ease  and  plenty. 

Somers  had  over-estimated  his  power  of  endurance  ; 
and  a  hard  gallop  of  five  miles  was  about  the  extent  of 
his  capacity.  The  rude  jolting  of  his  arm  made  it  ex- 
tremely painful,  while  his  system,  reduced  by  the  fever 
attending  the  wound,  was  incapable  of  supporting  such 
a  heavy  draft  upon  his  strength.  He  bore  up  against 
the  pain  and  faintness  which  beset  him  as  long  as  he 
could  ;  but  at  last,  to  the  oft-repeated  inquiries  of  Captain 
de  Banyan  in  regard  to  his  condition,  he  was  compelled 
to  answer  in  the  most  discouraging  terms. 

"  We  must  stop  and  rest,"  said  the  captain.  "  We 
have  about  fifteen  miles  more  to  go  ;  and  you  mustn't 
break  down  yet,  Somers." 

"  Here,  massa,  take  some  of  this,"  said  Alick,  as  he 
reined  in  his  horse. 

"What  is  it?"  asked  Somers  faintly. 

"  Brandy." 

"  I  can't  drink  brandy." 

*'  It  will    do    you     good,    my    dear    boy.     There    is 


356  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

Strength  in  brandy,  —  only  as  a  medicine.  Don't  be 
stubborn,  Somers." 

"  Good  brandy,  massa,"  added  Alick.  "  I  brought  it 
along  on  purpose  for  you.  I  was  mighty  feared  you 
wouldn't  be  able  to  stand  the  ride." 

"  I  am  willing  to  take  it  if  it  will  do  me  any  good," 
said  Somers.     "  I  am  about  used  up." 

The  sufferer  drank  two  or  three  swallows  of  the  fiery 
liquid  from  the  bottle  after  he  had  dismounted.  The 
potion  gave  him  an  artificial  life,  which  enabled  him  to 
ride  five  miles  farther,  though  at  a  much  slower  pace 
tlian  before.  The  roads  seemed  to  be  entirely  deserted, 
and  the  party  felt  satisfied  that  they  had  passed  out  of  the 
reach  of  a  successful  pursuit.  Another  dose  of  brandy 
gave  Somers  strength  enough  to  accomplish  fifteen  miles 
of  the  journey  ;  but  at  this  point  he  was  absolutely  unable 
to  sit  on  his  horse.  With  the  assistance  of  De  Banyan, 
he  got  off,  and  lay  for  two  hours  on  the  ground,  where 
his  devoted  companions  made  him  a  bed  of  their  coats. 
Alick  produced  some  bacon  and  crackers,  which  he  had 
brought  for  an  emergency,  of  which  Somers  partook  in 
small  quantities.  Pressed  by  his  fellow-fugitives,  he 
again  drank  some  brandy  ;  and,  while  his  head  was  flying 
round  like  a  top,  his  friends  placed  him  on  the  horse 
again. 

In  the  overpowering  weakness  and  suffering  of  the 
hour,  Somers  had  begged  his  companions  to  leave  him 


THE   ADVENTUJiES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICEIi.        357 

to  his  fate  ;  but  De  Banyan  declared  that  he  would  be 
hung  a  dozen  times  before  he  would  do  so  mean  and 
wicked  an  act.  "With  the  fumes  of  the  brandy  darting 
in  every  direction  through  his  brain,  which  seemed  to  be 
about  fifty  feet  above  his  shoulders,  he  spurred  on  his 
horse.  The  liquor  had  inspired  him  to  a  kind  of  des- 
peration. He  hardly  knew  what  he  was  about,  and  even 
forgot  the  pain  of  his  wounded  arm. 

''  Halt !  "  shouted  De  Banyan,  as  the  party  dashed 
over  a  rude  bridge  extending  across  a  broad  creek. 
*'  Hah,  Somers  !  " 

But  Somers  heeded  not  the  word,  and  still  spurred  on, 
till  the  captain,  who  rode  the  fastest  animal,  could  over- 
take him.  He  succeeded  in  stopping  the  furious  rider, 
and  in  making  him  understand  that  they  had  reached  the 
end  of  their  journey  in  tliis  direction.  They  returned  to 
the  bridge,  where  the  sharp  eye  of  the  captain  had  dis- 
cerned a  boat  moored  to  a  tree,  a  short  distance  below 
the  road.  Somers,  still  stupefied  by  the  effects  of  the 
brandy,  tamely  submitted  to  whatever  disposition  his 
companions  chose  to  make  of  him.  Taking  off  their 
coats,  they  made  for  him  a  bed  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat, 
which  was  a  large  yawl,  evidently  used  for  conveying 
merchandise  to  some  point  farther  up  the  creek.  The 
horses  were  turned  lo9se,  and  the  captain  and  Alick  took 
the  oars. 

After  pulling  for  half  an  hour,  they  were  rewarded  by 


<^58  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OF, 

a  view  of  the  broad  river  which  to  them  was  like  the 
Land  of  Promise  ;  and  moored  in  the  middle  there  was  a 
steamer,  which  in  those  w^aters  could  belong  to  no  other 
party  than  the  United-States  Government.  They  rowed 
out  to  this  vessel,  and  hailed  her.  Of  course  they  were 
cordially  welcomed  after  a  satisfactory  explanation  had 
beep  given. 

"Glory,  hallelujah!  How  do  you  feel,  Somers?" 
said  Captain  de  Banyan,  after  he  had  insured  a  proper 
reception  on  board  of  the  steamer. 

"  Badly,  very  badly,"  replied  Somers  faintly. 

"  Well,  cheer  up,  my  boy !  We  have  got  home 
again." 

"  Home  !  "  said  Somers,  raising  himself  partially  up 
at  the  sound  of  that  magical  word. 

The  captain  and  Alick  lifted  him  tenderly,  and  as- 
sisted him  up  the  accommodation-ladder  of  the  steamer. 
The  vessel  was  a  gunboat  bound  up  the  river,  and  was 
waiting  for  the  daylight.  Somers  was  taken  to  the 
ward-room,  where  the  surgeon  dressed  his  arm,  and 
prescribed  for  his  bodily  ailments.  Alick  was  duly 
installed  as  his  nurse,  though  Captain  de  Banyan 
performed  the  greater  part  of  this  duty.  But  the  con- 
sciousness that  he  was  again  beneath  the  old  flag  did 
more  for  the  patient  than  even  the  assiduous  care  of  his 
devoted  friends. 

After  leaving  Petersburg,  the  fugitives  had  pursued  a 


tup:   ADlEyrUIiES    OF  AX  AJiMY   OFFICEU.        359 

nearly  easterly  course  till  they  arrived  at  the  bridge  over 
Chipoak  Creek,  where  they  had  abandoned  their  horses, 
and  taken  the  boat.  Alick  had  chosen  this  direction  to 
avoid  the  pickets  which  were  on  the  lookout  for  them  in 
the  vicinity  of  the  City-Point  Railroad.  His  calculations 
had  been  well  made  ;  and  he  was  rewarded  for  his  zeal 
and  skill  by  the  priceless  boon  of  freedom,  which  he 
preferred  even  to  the  life  of  comfort  and  ease  he  had 
enjoyed  beneath  the  roof  of  his  kind  but  eccentric 
master. 

How  Dr.  Scoville  ever  made  his  peace  with  the  pro- 
vost-marshal of  Petersburg  we  are  not  informed ;  but 
we  will  venture  to  say  that  his  whims  were  not  respected 
after  the  events  we  have  narrated.  He  was  a  wilful 
man  ;  but  his  guests  were  very  sorry  to  be  compelled  to 
make  him  such  an  ungenerous  return  for  his  noble  hos- 
pitality. When  the  war  is  ended,  and  he  is  enabled  fully 
to  understand  the  meaning  of  treason  to  our  beneficent 
Government,  no  doubt  he  will  be  very  thankful  that  his 
prisoner  guests  escaped  as  they  did. 

At  nine  o'clock  on  the  following  morning,  the  gun- 
boat dropped  her  Anchor  off  Harrison's  Landing. 
Somers,  who  had  slept  for  several  hours,  was  more  com- 
fortable, though  he  was  still  in  a  deplorable  condition. 
"With  the  kindly  assistance  of  his  friends,  he  was  landed 
at  the  pier,  and  conveyed  in  an  ambulance  to  the  head- 
quarters of  the  division.  Leaning  on  the  arm  of  De 
Banyan,  he  entered  the  tent  of  the  general. 


360  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  Captain  Somers  !  "  exclaimed  the  general.  "  I  had 
given  you  up  for  lost.  Why,  you  have  grown  ten  years 
older  in  five  days  !  " 

»"  I  have  the  honor  to  make  my  report,  general,"  said 
Somers  with  a  faint  smile. 

"Your  report?  Good!  After  losing  you,  I  did  not 
dare  to  send  another  officer  upon  such  a  perilous  errand. 
But,  Captain  Somers,  you  are  all  used  up,"  added  the 
general,  with  a  glance  filled  with  sympathy,  —  a  look 
which  Somers  regarded  as  an  adequate  reward  for  all  he 
had  suffered  ;  for  to  have  that  man  feel  an  interest  in  him 
was  better  in  his  estimation  than  the  plaudits  of  the 
multitude.     '"  What  is  the  matter  with  your  arm?  " 

"  I  was  shot  at  Petersburg,"  replied  Somers. 

"  Well,  well,  captain,  you  must  go  to  the  hospital ; 
and  Captain  —  what's-his-name  "  — 

"  Captain  de  Banyan,  at  your  service,"  promptly  re- 
sponded Somers's  faithful  friend. 

"  Captain  de  Banyan  shall  report  for  you,  and  tell  me 
all  about  this  scrape,"  added  the  general.  "  Get  into 
your  carriage,  Captain  Somers,  and  go  to  the  hospital. 
I  will  call  and  see  you  to-day  or  to-morrow." 

"  Thank  you,  general." 

Captain  de  Banyan  assisted  him  into  the  ambulance  ; 
and,  when  he  had  placed  him  in  the  care  of  the  surgeon, 
he  returned  to  headquarters  to  tell  the  marvellous  story 
of  their  capture  by  the  rebels,  and  their  escape   from 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         3G1 

Petersburg.  It  is  quite  likely  that  he  did  not  add  his 
experieuce  iu  Teuuessec  ;  init,  wheu  the  general  called  on 
Somers  at  the  hospital  the  next  morning,  the  latter  sup- 
plied all  that  had  been  withheld.  The  general  had  % 
higher  regard  for  the  captain's  patriotism  than  ever 
before  ;  for  he  had  voluntarily  renounced  the  ranks  of 
rebellion,  and  placed  himself  on  the  side  of  his  country. 
There  was  nothing  against  him :  on  the  contrary,  his 
conduct  had  been  in  the  highest  degree  praiseworthy. 
But  Captain  de  Banyan  was  sensitive  on  this  point ;  and 
the  general  readily  promised  to  conceal  what  the  brave 
fellow  regarded  as  a  stain  upon  his  character. 

Captain  Somers  did  not  improve  so  rapidly  as  his 
friends  desired.  The  surgeon  declared  that  his  night- 
ride  from  Petersburg,  in  his  feeble  condition,  had  done 
him  more  injury  than  a  year's  hard  service  ;  and,  after  he 
had  been  in  the  hospital  ten  days,  it  was  deemed  ad- 
visable to  give  him  a  furlough,  and  send  him  home, 
especially  as  the  division  was  then  under  orders  to 
march  to  Yorktown.  The  gallant  young  hero  regretted 
the  necessity  of  leaving  the  regiment  just  as  he  had  been 
promoted  ;  but  he  was  in  no  condition  to  endure  the  long 
and  weary  march.  lie  was  able  to  walk  about  a  little  ; 
and,  on  the  day  before  the  sailing  of  the  transport  by 
which  he  was  to  proceed  to  Washington,  he  received 
another  visit  from  the  general. 

After  a  few  kind  inquiries  in  regard  to  the  invalid's 


362  THE    YOUXn   LTTrUTENANT ;    Oli, 

coudition,  the  general  took  from  his  pocket  one  of  those 
great  otficial  envelopes  which  so  often  carry  joy  to  the 
heart  of  the  gallant  officer.  Somers  was  amazed.  It 
ODuld  not  be  possible  that  his  own  promotion  was  indi- 
cated by  this  document.  It  was  not  three  weeks  since 
his  commission  as  captain  had  reached  him  ;  but  then 
Senator  Guilford  was  a  great  man,  and  wielded  a  tre- 
mendous influence,  both  at  Washington,  and  with  the 
military  authorities  of  his  native  State. 

Recalling  his  former  declaration  to  Captain  de  Ban- 
yan, he  was  fully  resolved  to  decline  any  further  promo- 
tion, at  least  until  he  had  done  something  which  entitled 
him  to  this  distinction.  The  general  held  up  the  formi- 
dable packet,  while  Somers's  pale  face  was  suflTused  with 
blushes. 

"  I  have  brought  you  a  major's  commission,  Somers  ; 
and  I  know  it  will  give  you-  joy." 

"  Really,  sir  ;  ah  !  general,  I  don't  think"  — 

*'  Don't  you?"  laughed  the  general. 

"  I  don't  deserve  it,  general ;  and  you  will  pardon  me 
if  I  say  I  cannot  accept  it.  I  am  very  grateful  to  you  ; 
but"  — 

"  Oh,  it  isn't  for  you  !  "  roared  the  general  as  he  handed 
him  the  official  paper. 

"  Major  de  Banyan  !  "  exclaimed  Captain  Somers  as 
he  read  the  superscription  with  a  thrill  of  delight.  "  It 
is  indeed  a  joy  to  me.     I  am  ten  times  as  happy  as  I 


THE  ADVENTURES    OF  AX  ARMY   OFFTCEn.        363 

should  have  been  if  my  own  name  had  been  coupled  with 
that  title.     I  am  ever  so  much  obliged  to  you." 

**  Senator  Guilford  again !  By  the  way,  Captain 
Somers,  you  must  call  on  him  when  you  get  to  AVash-^" 
ington." 

"•I  shall  certainly  do  so.  But  I  know  my  friend  could 
not  have  been  promoted  without  the  good  word  which 
you  have  spoken  for  him." 

"  Well,  it  is  all  right,  captain.  Major  de  Banyan  is  a 
brave  fellow.  He  has  done  you  a  good  turn  ;  and  I  way- 
laid this  document  so  as  to  afford  you  the  pleasure  of 
being  the  first  to  address  him  by  his  new  title." 

"Thank  you,  general." 

"  And,  captain,  if  you  could  prevail  on  the  major  to 
be  a  little  more  reasonable  in  some  of  the  lies  he  tells, 
his  reputation  for  veracity  would  be  improved." 

"  I  will  endeavor  to  do  so." 

The  general  bade  the  invalid  a  hearty  and  even  affec- 
tionate adieu  ;  and  they  did  not  meet  again  till-  they 
grasped  hands  on  the  bloody  field  of  Antietam,  where 
Somers  acted  in  a  new  sphere  of  duty.  No  sooner  had 
the  general  departed,  than  Somers,  inspired  to  new  vigor 
by  the  joyful  event  which  had  just  transpired,  hastened 
to  the  camp  of  the  regiment. 

"  Ah,  Somers,  my  dear  boy  !  how  are  you  now?  "  said 
his  friend  as  he  seized  his  hand. 

"  Better,  I  thank  you,  Major  de  Banyan." 


364  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

"  Come,  now,  Somers,  that  is  cruel !  A  friend  of 
mine,  just  before  the  battle  of  Solferino,"  — 

"  Confound  the  battle  of  Solferino,  Major  de  Ban- 
yan ! " 

"  I  was  about  to  say  that  a  friend  of  mine,  just  before 
the  battle  of  Solferino,  made  fun  of  my  aspirations,  just 
as  you  do  now  "  — 

"  I  don't  do  any  thing  of  the  sort.  Here's  the  oiTicial 
document.     If  I  read  right,  it  says  Major  de  Banyan." 

"  Somers,"  said  the  captain,  winking  very  rapidly  to 
dissipate  some  evidences  of  weakness  which  were  strug- 
gling for  existence  in  his  eyes,  —  "  Somers,  you  have  dono 
this." 

"  I  did  write  to  Senator  Guilford  about  you  before  we 
went  over  the  river  ;  and  now  I  thank  God  with  all  my 
soul  that  I  did  so." 

"  Somers,  you  are  one  of  the  best  of  friends  !  "  ex- 
claimed the  major  as  he  stood  with  the  unopened  docu- 
ment in  his  hand. 

"And  so  are  you.  Without  you,  I  should  have  been 
in  a  rebel  prison  or  under  the  sod  at  this  time." 

"  God  bless  you,  Somers  !  "  ejaculated  De  Banyan,  as 
with  trembling  hand  he  opened  the  envelope,  and  took 
therefrom  his  major's  commission.  "  I  have  loved  you 
just  like  a  younger  brother  ;  not  selfishly,  my  dear  boy, 
but  with  my  whole  heart.  You  haven't  disappointed  me  ; 
only  once,  when  "  — 


THE   ADVENTURES    OF  AN  AliMY   OFFICER.         365 

"  Don't  mention  it.  I  thought  you  were  a  rebel  then  ; 
but  I  repented." 

"  I  don't  blame  you.  Now,  Somers,  you  are  going 
home.  May  God  bless  you  and  keep  you  !  I  shall  be 
as  sad  as  a  maiden  who  has  lost  her  lover,  while  you  are 
gone." 

"I  shall  not  be  absent  long.  We  shall  be  together 
again  in  a  few  weeks." 

''  I  hope  so.  I  have  no  home  now.  It  has  been  deso- 
lated by  treason.  I  heard  since  I  came  over  that  my 
wife  was  dead.  I  had  a  son,  a  boy  of  fifteen  :  I  know 
not  where  he  is.  Well,  well :  I  will  not  groan  or  com- 
plain. I  will  do  my  duty  to  my  country,  and  that  shall 
cheer  my  heart ; "  and,  with  an  effort  of  his  powerful  will, 
he  banished  the  sad  reflections  from  his  mind,  and  smiled 
as  though  earth  had  no  sorrows.  "After  the  battle  of 
Magenta,  I  had  the  blues,  and"  — 

"  One  word,  De  Banyan.  Were  you  at  the  battle  of 
Magenta  ?  "  said  Somers  solemnly. 

The  major  looked  on  the  ground,  at  the  commission  he 
had  just  received,  and  then  into  the  sympathizing  face  of 
his  friend. 

"  To  tell  the  truth,  Somers,  I  was  not ;  but  I  fought 
in  every  battle  in  Mexico,  from  Vera  Cruz  up  to  the 
capital." 

Somers  improved  this  opportunity  to  repeat  the  injunc- 
tion of  the  general. 


36t)  THE    YOUNG   LIEUTEXAXT;    OR, 

"  Now  promise  me,  major,  that  you  will  never  say 
Magenta  or  any  thing  of  the  sort  again  as  long  as  you 
live,"  added  Somers. 

"  That  would  be  a  rash  promise.  I  have  got  a  bad 
habit,  and  I  will  try  to  cure  myself  of  it.  On  my  soul 
I  will,  my  dear  boy  !  " 

In  the  course  of  the  conversation,  the  major,  who  was 
now  in  a  truth-telling  mood,  informed  Somers  that  he 
had,  after  his  escape  from  the  rebel  array,  enlisted  in  the 
regular  army,  where  he  had  been  made  a  sergeant,  and, 
through  the  influence  of  a  Massachusetts  officer,  had 
been  commissioned  as  a  captain.  His  gallantry  had 
Avon   a  swift  reward. 

On  the  following  day,  they  parted  on  board  the  trans- 
port in  the  river ;  and  in  that  sad  hour  the  friendship, 
which,  though  brief  in  duration,  had  been  fruitful  enough 
for  a  lifetime,  was  pledged  for  the  future.  They  parted, 
De  Banyan  to  mingle  in  the  terrible  scenes  in  which  the 
regiment  was  engaged  before  the  close  of  the  month,  and 
Somers  to  bask  in  the  smiles  of  the  loved  ones  at  home. 
Alick,  who  had  been  regularly  installed  as  the  captain's 
servant,  Avent  Avith  him. 


THE  ADVE^TUUE^   UF  AxV  AIIMY   UFFlCEli.         oG7 


CHAPTER    XXXI. 

WASHINGTON,    BOSTON,    AND    PINCHBROOK. 

CHOUGH  the  session  of  Congress  had  closed  a 
month  before.  Captain  Somers  was  gratified  to 
learn,  on  his  arrival,  that  Senator  Guilford  and 
his  family  were  still  in  AYashington,  the  distin- 
guished gentleman  having  been  detained  by  important 
public  business.  As  soon  as  he  could  make  himself  pre- 
sentable, he  hastened  to  pay  his  respects  to  the  senator, 
and  thank  him  for  his  kindness.  He  Avas  not  at  home. 
Emma  received  him  with  a  warm  blush  of  pleasure  on 
her  fair  cheeks.  She  had  entirely  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  the  accident ;  and  her  tribute  of  gratitude  was 
so  eloquently  poured  forth,  that  the  gallant  young  cap- 
tain, who  had  hardly  seen  a  young  lady  before  for  two 
months,  could  not  exactly  tell  whether  he  stood  on  his 
head  or  his  heels  ;  for  praise  from  those  beautiful  lips 
produced  a  sensation  of  giddiness  in  the  region  of  the 
brain. 

Young  men  will  be  silly  in  spite  of  all  we  dignified  old 
fogies  can  say  to  convince  them  of  the  folly  of  being  car- 


3G8  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT ;    OR, 

ried  away  by  the  witching  arts  of  pretty,  graceful  little 
creatures  like  Emraa  Guilford.  Perhaps  the  remem- 
brance of  the  scene  on  the  railroad  was  some  excuse  for 
him  ;  and  it  is  entirely  unnecessary  to  apologize  for  any 
thing  a  beautiful  girl  may  do,  especially  if  she  be  the 
daughter  of  a  senator.  The  young  lady  said  a  great 
many  pretty  things,  and  the  young  gentleman  a  great 
many  smart  ones,  before  she  discovered  that  the  captain 
was  wounded  in  the  arm,  though  she  had  already  re- 
marked upon  his  pale  face  and  rather  attenuated  form. 
He  told  her  wlien  and  where  he  was  wounded  ;  and  of 
course  she  wanted  to  know  all  about  his  adventures  in 
Secessia.     He  was  as  willing  as  Othello  to  speak 

"Of  most  disastrous  chances, 
Of  moving  accidents,  by  flood  and  field; 
Of  hairbreadth  scapes  i'  the  imminent  deadly  breach; 
Of  being  taken  by  the  insolent  foe." 

All  this  to  hear  did  Emma  Guilford  seriously  incline. 
But  he  had  hardly  commenced  the  story  before  the 
senator  himself  entered  the  room. 

"  Ah  !  Captain  Somers,  I  am  delighted  to  see  you  !  " 
said  he  with  enthusiasm,  as  he  extended  his  hand, 
which   our  hero  as   warmly  grasped. 

"  Thank  you,  sir.  I  have  called  to  express  my  obli- 
gations to  you  for  all  your  kindness  to  me  and  to  my 
friend.  Major  de  Banyan  washed  to  be  kindly  remem- 
bered to  you." 


THE    ADVESTUllKS    OF  AN  AliMY    OFFICER.         369 

"  I  am  happy  to  hoar  from  tlie  major  ;  and  as  for  the 
rest,  I  feel  that  I  have  not  yet  begun  to  discharge  my 
obligation  to  you.    Why  didn't  you  write  to  me  before?" 

"  I  did  not  wish  to  burden  you  with  any  remembrance 
of  such  a  humble  individual  as  myself." 

"  You  are  too  modest  by  half,  Captain  Somers.  I 
should  not  have  known  any  thing  about  you  if  it  hadn't 
been  for  General  —  well,  no  matter  who,"  laughed  the 
senator. 

*'  Now,  papa,  you  have  cut  short  the  most  interesting 
story  that  ever  was  told  !  "  interposed  Emma. 

"  The  captain  must  begin  again,  then.  Of  course,  you 
"will  make  my  house  your  home  while  in  the  city." 

"  Thank  you,  sir.     I  left  my  servant  at  the  hotel,'* 

Senator  Guilford  insisted  on  sending  for  the  servant 
and  the  baggage  ;  and,  in  half  an  hour,  Alick  was  present 
to  confirm  the  wonderful  tale  which  Somers  told  of  his 
captivity  in  Petersburg,  to  which  Emma  and  her  father 
listened  with  the  most  intense  interest. 

Very  much  to  his  surprise.  Captain  Somers  found  him- 
self quite  a  lion  in  Washington.  He  was  introduced  to 
senators  and  representatives  ;  and  on  the  following  even- 
ing actually  took  the  President  of  the  United  States  by 
the  hand,  just  as  though  he  had  been  one  of  the  patri- 
archs of  Pinchbrook, 

In  spite  of  all  these  brilliant  surroundings,  Somers 
was  anxious  to  get  home.     He  was  too  feeble  to  endure 

24 


870  THE    YOUNG  LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

the  excitement  of  the  capital ;  and,  on  the  third  day  after 
his  arrival,  he  started  for  home.  When  he  reached 
Boston,  by  an  unfortunate  chance  it  was  two  hours 
before  a  train  would  start  for  Pinchbrook.  As  he  had 
spent  two  days  with  a  senator  in  Washington,  and 
shaken  hands  with  the  President,  he  deemed  himself 
qualified  to  call  at  No.  — ,  Rutland  Street,  where  the 
carriage  soon  set  him  do^\Ti. 

Lilian  Ashford  was  at  home  ;  and  Captain  Somers,  who 
had  faced  a  whole  rebel  brigade,  trembled  and  blushed  in 
the  presence  of  the  maiden  like  the  veriest  coward  in  the 
world.  But  it  was  some  satisfaction  to  know  that  the 
other  party  was  similarly  affected.  The  young  hero 
could  not  exactly  explain  how  he  felt.  It  was  a  different 
sensation  from  that  which  had  come  over  him  in  the 
presence  of  Emma  Guilford.  He  experienced  a  feeling 
of  awe  before  her,  but  he  could  talk  as  fast  as  ever ; 
w^hile  to  Lilian  he  stanamered,  couldn't  remember  any 
thing,  and  made  woful  confusion  in  his  words  and  in  his 
ideas. 

When  the  ice  was  broken,  he  succeeded  in  telling  her 
something  about  his  adventures  in  Virginia,  and  roused 
a  very  strong  desire  in  her  mind  to  see  the  wonderful 
Major  de  Banyan.  But  his  brief  hour  expired  all  too 
soon :  it  faded  in  a  moment,  and  seemed  like  a  tale  that 
was'told. 

"  I  wore  your  socks  at  the  battles  of  Savage's  Station, 


THE  ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.         371 

Glendale,  and  White-oak  Swamp,  Miss  Ashford,"  said 
he  ;  "  aud  I  shall  keep  them  for  future  service  of  the 
same  kind.  If  I  am  killed  iu  battle,  I  shall  be  found 
with  those  socks  on  my  feet." 

"  Oh,  I  hope  you  won't  be  killed ! "  exclaimed  she 
with  a  shudder. 

"  Well,  I  hope  not ;  but,  as  soon  as  I  am  able,  I  shall 
return  to  my  duty." 

"What  a  brave  fellow  you  are  !  I  shouldn't  think  yoii 
would  dare  to  stand  up  before  the  cannons,  and  the 
muskets,  and  the  bayonets." 

"  "VYhen  I  feel  like  running  away,  I  always  think  of 
my  socks,"  said  Somers. 

But  the  carriage  had  come  for  him,  aud  Alick  stood  at 
the  door  waiting  for  his  appearance.  He  took  the  little 
soft  white  hand  in  his  own,  and  readily  promised,  when 
she  invited  him,  to  call  again  soon  and  see  her  grand- 
mother, who  was  out  of  town  that  day.  Of  course, 
Somers  was  deeply  interested  in  the  venerable  old  lady, 
and  actually  looked  forward  with  intense  pleasure  to  the 
anticipated  visit. 

He  was  driven  to  the  railroad  station,  and  reached 
Pinchbrook  at  "  high  twelve,"  when  the  Pinchbrookers 
were  just  going  to  their  dinners.  Captain  Barney,  as 
usual,  was  at  the  depot,  and  gave  him  a  seaman's  welcome 
home.  He  insisted  upon  being  driven  to  the  cottage 
before  dinner ;  and  the  old  shipmaster,  finding  that  Cap- 


372  THE    YOUXG   LIEUTENANT;    OR, 

tain  Somers  carried  too  many  guns  for  liim,  gracefully 
yielded  the  point. 

"Bless  my  stars,  if  there  ain't  Thomas  ! "  cried  Mrs. 
Somers  as^  she  jnmped  up  from  the  dinner-table,  and 
actually  upset  Ihe  teapot  in  the  operation. 

"  How  do  you  do,  mother?  How  do  you  do,  father?" 
exclaimed  the  young  captain  as  he  shook  hands  with  his 
father  and  Gran'ther  Green,  kissed  his  mother,  and 
hugged  his  sister. 

"  How  pale  you  look,  Thomas  ! "  said  his  mother.  "  I 
declare,  you  are  as  thin  as  a  hatchet !  How  is  your 
arm?'* 

"  Better,  mother :  I  shall  be  as  good  as  new  in  a  few 
days." 

"  You  look  pale  ;  but  your  face  is  as  nateral  as  life." 
said  Gran'ther  Green.  "  I  don't  know  what  we  shall  do 
with  two  cap'ns  in  the  family." 

%  "I  think  we  can  manage  that,  gran'ther,"  replied 
Somers,  as  he  took  the  place  at  the  table  which  had  been 
prepared  for  him. 

We  drop  the  curtain  upon  the  scenes  which  followed ; 
for  our  patient  reader  can  better  imagine  than  we  can 
describe  them.  Our  hero  was  once  more  within  the 
hallowed  precincts  of  home ;  all  its  sacred  joys  flowed 
in  upon  his  soul ;  and  he  thanked  the  good  Father  who 
had  conducted  him  throujrh  so  many  perils,  and  restored 
him  to  the  hearts  of  the  loved  ones  who  yearned  for  him 


THE   ADVENTURES   OF  AN  ARMY   OFFICER.    •     373 

in  his  absence.  They  were  as  grateful  for  his  return  as 
he  was,  —  grateful  that  God  had  restored  him  at  all ;  but 
doubly  so  that  he  had  come  with  his  soul  unstained  by 
the  vices  of  the  camp  and  the  wickedness  of  the  great 
world. 

The  health  of  Captain  Somers  did  not  permit  his 
return  to  the  army  to  participate  in  those  great  battles 
before  Washington  in  which  his  regiment  was  reduced 
to  a  mere  skeleton  of  its  former  self.  But,  while  tlie 
country  was  breathing  slowly  and  fearfully  before  the 
terrors  of  Lee's  invasion  of  Maryland,  there  came  to 
Pinchbrook  a  letter  from  the  gallant  general  of  division 
—  now  in  command  of  a  corys  d'armee  —  under  whom 
he  had  before  served,  containing  an  appointment  on  his 
staff.  Though  still  but  partially  restored  to  health,  he 
hastened  to  accept  his  new  position,  and  started  at  once 
for  the  scene  of  strife. 

His  suffering  country  needed  him;  and  he  could  not 
satisfy  his  sense  of  duty,  even  with  the  reasonable  excuse 
of  a  shattered  physical  frame.  He  went ;  and  his  record 
was  always  honorable  and  noble  in  success  and  in  mis- 
fortune. 


THE  END. 


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